Impact of Daily Workplace Mindfulness Training (original) (raw)
Related papers
Mindfulness, 2014
Employees of a call center working for a financial institution took part in a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Each day, during five consecutive weeks, they listened to two short guided meditation sessions using a headset at their workstation (10 min in the morning and 5 min after lunch). A pretest-post-test switching-replication design was used to assess changes in mindfulness, psychological distress, and client satisfaction over the course of the intervention. During the first portion of the study, group 1 (n=18) acted as the intervention group while group 2 (n=25) acted as the control group. During the second portion, the intervention was replicated, and the roles of the two groups were switched. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires at baseline (t1), week 6 (t2), and week 11 (t3) and examined using both analysis of variance and prediction analysis. The results showed that mindfulness increased while psychological distress (stress, anxiety/depression, fatigue, and negative affect) decreased for all employees throughout the intervention, especially among those with low mindfulness scores at baseline. The satisfaction level of the employees' internal clients significantly increased over time, although the effect size was small. This article contributes to the field of mindfulness at work by (1) introducing a novel MBI specifically designed for call centers, (2) assessing the impact of the intervention on client satisfaction, and (3) doing so using a research design and a statistical technique which have never been used in mindfulness studies.
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2021
BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are known for their beneficial effects on positive and negative psychological factors. When applied in an occupational context, MBIs might help workers to cope with stress, increase their professional outcomes and wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: In this two-groups pre-post experimental design we tested the effect of our MBI, called Integral Meditation (IM), among the employers of an Italian service company by measuring positive and negative aspects of psychological wellbeing related to mindfulness and workplace functioning through eight self-report questionnaires (CORE-OM, FFMQ, WEMWBS, MAIA, PSS, PANAS, STAI-X1, SCS). METHOD: Forty-two voluntary non-clinical employers of the company, randomly assigned to the experimental or the control group, were analyzed. The experimental group underwent our IM program, which consists of 12 weekly meditation classes given after the afternoon shift, while the control group did not receive any intervention. ...
Frontiers in psychology, 2018
Mindfulness trainings are increasingly offered in workplace environments in order to improve health and productivity. Whilst promising, there is limited research on the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in workplace settings. To examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a Workplace Mindfulness Training (WMT) in terms of burnout, psychological well-being, organizational and team climate, and performance. This is a preliminary field study in four companies. Self-report questionnaires were administered up to a month before, at start of, and right at the end of the WMT, resulting in a pre-intervention and an intervention period. There was no separate control group. A total of 425 participants completed the surveys on the different time points. Linear mixed model analyses were used to analyze the data. When comparing the intervention period with the pre-intervention period, significantly greater improvements were found in measures of burnout (mean difference = 0.3, < 0.001...
Mindfulness training in the workplace: exploring its scope and outcomes
European Journal of Training and Development, 2020
Purpose As the concept of mindfulness gains popularity in the workplace, there is a need to understand the extent to which mindfulness-related practices are integrated into training and development activities and the impact of these practices on employees and organizations. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the scope of mindfulness as an intervention in the workplace and to identify outcomes of mindfulness-related training activities at the individual, job/work, team/group and organizational levels. Design/methodology/approach Torraco (2005) and Briner and Denyer's (2012) four steps (search, selection, analysis and synthesis) for conducting an integrative literature review were used for this study. This method enabled us to compare and contrast relevant articles, integrate distributed information, create new knowledge and provide research directions on mindfulness practices in work settings. Findings Through a revision of 28 empirical studies, the authors fo...
A systematic review and meta-analysis of workplace mindfulness training randomized controlled trials
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
This meta-analytic review responds to promises in the research literature and public domain about the benefits of workplace mindfulness training. It synthesizes randomized controlled trial evidence from workplace-delivered training for changes in mindfulness, stress, mental health, wellbeing and work performance outcomes. Going beyond extant reviews, this paper explores the influence of variability in workforce and intervention characteristics for reducing perceived stress. Meta-effect estimates (Hedge's g) were computed using data from 23 studies. Results indicate beneficial effects following training for mindfulness (g=0.45, p<0.001) and stress (g=0.56, p<0.001); for the mental health indicators anxiety (g=0.62, p<0.001) and psychological distress (g=0.69, p<0.001); and for wellbeing (g=0.46, p=0.002) and sleep (g=0.26, p=0.003). No conclusions could be drawn from pooled data for burnout due to ambivalence in results, for depression due to publication bias, or for work performance due to insufficient data. The potential for integrating the construct of mindfulness within demands-resources, coping and prevention theories of work stress is considered in relation to the results. Limitations to study designs and reporting are addressed, and recommendations to advance research in this field are made.
Mindfulness-based programmes to reduce stress and enhance well-being at work: a realist review
BMJ Open, 2021
ObjectivesTo understand how and why workplace mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) work or do not work.DesignA realist review.Eligibility criteria for selectionWe considered any studies (experimental quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative and mixed-methods studies) of workplace MBPs as long as they provided data to explain our programme theories. All MBP formats and delivery modes were included.AnalysisConsistent with realist review methodology, we systematically screened and analysed data to explain how and why workplace MBPs work or do not work. These explanations were consolidated into a programme theory augmented by theories from organisational literature, such as conservation of resources theory.ResultsFindings from 75 primary studies suggest that workplace MBPs enable participants (including healthcare professionals) to deal more skillfully with stressful events and improve their well-being. The mechanisms involved can be grouped around awareness/self-regulation, accept...
Mindfulness-based training interventions for employees: A qualitative review of the literature
Human Resource Management Review, 2017
We provide a comprehensive qualitative review of 67 published studies that have examined mindfulness-based training interventions conducted with employees. The findings indicate that the most common research designs were the pre-test/post-test only design (35.8%) and the randomized waitlist control group design (26.9%). About two-thirds of the studies included a control group (61.2%), with approximately three-quarters (75.6%) of these studies using random assignment. Of the 63 studies that used a conventional experimental design, the majority (65.1%) included only one follow-up assessment, most often immediately after training. Results indicated a great degree of heterogeneity in terms of program content, although many studies used some adaptation of Kabat-Zinn's (1990) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (41.8%), an approach with a strong evidentiary base with clinical populations. All training programs incorporated practice, most (85.1%) used multiple methods of delivering the training material, and training varied considerably in total duration, session length, and the number of training sessions. Our review also found that the intended purpose of mindfulness-based training for employees was most commonly the reduction of stress/strain (80.6%), although a wide range of other targeted outcomes were documented. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of mindfulness-based training interventions with employees.
Effects of Mindfulness practice on work stress: a study with professionals in Primary Health Care
Research, Society and Development, 2021
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a Mindfulness-based program on mindfulness levels and in the risk of illness associated with stress at work in primary health care (PHC) professionals in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. This is a quasi-experimental study, with 26 PHC professionals, using quantitative methods and an analytical before and after approach of an 8-week Mindfulness Program. The intervention was evaluated applying the instruments: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and Job Stress Scale. There were significant differences in six Mindfulness facets after the intervention: Observe (p = 0.002); Describe (p = 0.01); Act with awareness autopilot (p = 0.01) and distraction (p = 0.05); Non-reactivity to inner experience (p = 0.0005); Non-judgement of inner experience (p = 0.01); and in total Mindfulness scores (p = 0.0000018). Regarding the stress levels at work, the reduction of the organizational mode in high job strain was observed (before: 35%, after: 19%). It...
Occupational stress and mindfulness: an empirical study
Journal of Business, Economics and Finance, 2022
Purpose-There is a need for organizations to be innovative and keep on adapting to changes and new circumstances in today's highly competitive world. Accordingly, some challenges emerged for both organizations and employees in adapting to the new situations as well as work-related daily routine tasks. Adaptation and coping capabilities of the employees have become an essential part of the work environment. These challenges have created stress among employees, affecting their personal lives and business lives. A concept of "Mindfulness" that enables people to be flexible and adaptable in adverse environments, and this, in turn, reduces people's stress levels is used in business life as well. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors affecting employees' occupational stress and clarify their coping capabilities using mindfulness during turbulent times. Methodology-There are qualitative and quantitative studies about occupational stress and mindfulness in business and psychology disciplines. This research consists of an extensive literature review regarding the factors found in the literature, including stress and employee cooping capabilities in terms of mindfulness, and an empirical field study applied through an experimental group. They had an eight-week MBSR course and a survey applied before and after the training, in 2021. The data from the research was analyzed through the SPSS 25 program. Findings-According to literature, employees' stress levels increased because of many factors like workload, time pressures and deadlines, extended working hours, work/family conflict, and an environment of uncertainty in general. On the other hand, in the literature, the factors affecting employees' coping capabilities with stress are two crucial: employee well-being and resilience at work. The analyzed data from the experimental study supported the literature that mindfulness training reduces the stress level of employees while increasing their resilience and well-being levels. Conclusion-The study encourages Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs to be applied to employees during challenging times when there are high levels of uncertainty and stress. Experiential studies of mindfulness interventions demonstrate that mindfulness serves to reduce stress and improve well-being and resilience.