“Integrating Holistic Yoga into Corporate Wellness: A Study on Work-Life Balance and Stress Management Among it Professionals”

Abstract

Over the last few years, the IT industry's fast-paced and demanding nature has taken a toll on workers and their work-life balance more than ever. Those engaged in this industry have to put in long hours, live under the sword of high expectations, and experience constant digital fatigue, which all lead to depression and mental health problems. The ancient Indian tradition of yoga which serves as its fundamental practice requires practitioners to bring their mind and body together for developing both stress management skills and work-life balance and emotional resilience. A workplace should develop a comprehensive yoga program because it will provide workers with better health and complete wellness benefits. According to research conducted in Shivamogga, Karnataka, a well-designed three-month holistic yoga program can decrease stress levels and improve work-life balance while promoting both mental health and workplace productivity.

The intervention involved 100 IT professionals who participated in a 90-day yoga program and engaging themselves in asanas, pranayama, and meditation sessions being conducted three times weekly. The results obtained through statistical analysis showed that there was a substantial change in the complete well-being of the individuals. The statistical assessment used both Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Work–Life Balance (WLB) Scale to measure the changes which occurred between the pre-test and post-test evaluation. The research found significant progress according to both descriptive statistics and inferential statistical methods. The mean PSS score decreased from 27.8 (before the intervention) to 16.2 (after the intervention), marking a statistically significant 41.7% reduction in stress levels (p < 0.001).

Likewise, the Work-Life Balance Index was increased by 36.4%, the participants have been managing their time better, less irritable, and more self-regulated. Regression analysis showed that yoga practice was a significant predictor of lower stress levels (β = –0.62, p < 0.001) and of work-life happiness (β = 0.57, p < 0.01). The study results show that yoga treatment produced 50 percent of the total health improvements which resulted in an R² value of 0.48. The intervention produced equal benefits for male and female participants according to the gender-based analysis, which showed that both groups experienced similar advantages while their coping and relaxation methods showed only minor differences. The research outcomes prove that the holistic yoga program helps employees reduce work-related stress while improving their ability to balance work and personal life. The psychological health of employees together with their emotional resilience and general wellness improve through the implementation of yoga programs in company wellness programs. The organization should establish yoga programs as a permanent part of its Human Resources policies and Employee Assistance Programs, which should execute the programs with the purpose of promoting employee health throughout the company.

The policy proposal suggests that organizations should receive tax benefits when they invest in employee wellness programs and hire certified yoga instructors who will work throughout the corporate sector and partner with national health programs including the Ministry and AYUSH and Fit India Movement. The research demonstrates that organizations can use yoga as an effective method to improve employee health by combining traditional health practices with their corporate wellness programs specifically in IT industries.