A
UNWINDING ON COMPANY TIME ...
TO REACH THE BOTTOM LINE?
PREVIOUS PAGE: COURTESY OF PROMEGA CORP.
BY PETER S. GOODMAN
As a half-dozen women filter into
a yoga studio on a recent afternoon, passing glowing candles and
Buddhist statuary, they absorb
the ethereal voice of a woman
crooning praises to the earth via
a boombox set on a bare wooden
floor. They sit on yoga mats, gaze
toward foliage outside and draw
in a collective breath, echoing the
instructor leading this midday
meditation class.
They are not here on vacation.
Nor are they at a spa or a gym. For
the women gathered here, this is
part of the workday at Promega
Corp., a biotech company on the
outskirts of this university town.
They are here on company time,
paying rates heavily subsidized
by their employer, because the
people running Promega have concluded that meditation classes —
along with yoga, ubiquitous fitness centers, workspaces infused
with natural light, and healthy
meals — contribute to a happier,
healthier working experience. And
happier, healthier workers make
for a stronger business.
In other parts of Promega’s expansive campus, scientists are
scribbling on whiteboards in pursuit of fresh applications derived
from the genome. Line workers are
inspecting DNA analysis kits used
by crime scene investigators, then
depositing them into orange boxes
bearing the company logo. Executives occupying conference rooms
plot the conquest of new markets
in the Middle East and Asia.
All of these pursuits are central
components of a private business
that employs 1,200 people world-