A Global Mindfulness Programme is helping talent reach their full potential, explains Sean Tolram, Head of Mindfulness at HSBC.
Imagine the future of work. Perhaps you’re picturing a world of AI with augmented reality meetings, and robot assistants bringing you coffee. All very exciting. But at HSBC, we’re also focusing on something a bit less flashy and a bit more… human.
We’re betting on the brain.
Specifically, we’re investing in mindfulness. Not because it’s trendy, or because we want our people to start meditating on beanbags. But because we’re seeing real, measurable impact in how people work, connect, and lead.
In a world where organisations are wrestling with complexity, burnout, and disengagement, mindfulness is helping us build something future-ready. A sustainable, scalable, human-first culture.
Our brains were designed for a different world
As one of the world’s largest banks, with over 200,000 employees and customers in 64 countries, we know a thing or two about complexity.
Our people operate across different time zones, languages, and regulatory environments, pushing their brains to the limit every day. Add to that the overflowing inboxes, back-to-back meetings, and busy personal lives, and you can see how modern life can easily become overwhelming.
In this environment, expecting people to achieve their full potential without giving them the right tools is optimistic at best.
That’s why we created the Global Mindfulness Programme with a simple goal: Create the conditions where people can be at their best.
Training our brains for the modern workplace
Our growth across the bank is made possible through our trained Mindfulness Champions. These are volunteer HSBC employees who are passionate about supporting their colleagues. These Champions run everything from 10-minute practice sessions to webinars on topics like multitasking and stress, and even a full six-week course.
We’ve trained over 250 Champions across 25 countries, and they’re now delivering around 150 sessions a month, reaching 2,500 employees monthly.
Every year, 1,500 people complete our Mindfulness Foundations course, which shows a 30% improvement in stress resilience, measured through externally validated surveys.
And because we’re a bank, we love a good ROI. That’s why we use a train-the-trainer model. As we train more Champions, we reduce our reliance on external trainers, making the programme cost-effective, self-sustaining, and fully embedded within the organisation.
Making it meaningful and relevant
One of the biggest learnings? People don’t want a generic mindfulness solution. So, we’re building bespoke programmes for different areas of the bank, for example call centres, legal, risk & compliance, and (yes!) early careers. Read how mindfulness can support the transition from student to professional.
This isn’t mindfulness as an extra. It’s woven into how we work. The goal isn’t to tell people what to do or try to fix their problems. It’s about bringing more awareness to what they do. And awareness gives us the power to choose how we respond, rather than being in a constant state of autopilot.
Final thought
The workplace of the future isn’t just digital. It’s human.
We can have all the tech in the world, but if people are running on empty, stressed out, and distracted, we’re not going to get the results we want. By helping people understand how their brains work, we’re empowering them to build happy, healthy, successful careers.
Because ultimately, if we want an organisation that’s fit for the future, we have to go beyond sticking plaster solutions and productivity hacks. We have to be intentional about creating the conditions where people can be at their best