Impact of Mindfulness on Employee Outcomes
Faculty Advisor Name
Diane Wilcox
Department
Department of Learning, Technology and Leadership Education
Description
This research project evaluates the relationship between mindfulness and employee outcomes for remote workers within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Work conditions brought on by the pandemic quarantine are discussed and considered to holistically appreciate this relationship. The specific conditions discussed are the following: employees’ choice to work, their physical workspace, the support of their management, the reality of their work life balance, their level of collaboration and communication with their teams, and their home life circumstances which include spouses and older parents and children. Each of these conditions contributes to employees’ outcomes. Mindfulness is defined and viewed from two different perspectives: as a trait that individuals already possess, or as a strategy to address unforeseen issues within larger groups. It can be used as a training strategy within the company or as supported suggested practice within company culture. Supervisors and managers will play an important role in allowing mindfulness perspectives and practices to exist within an organizations environment. Demonstration and discussion of the relationship between mindfulness and the employee outcomes of stress, mental health, self-efficacy, and burnout within the literature are included, as well as studies that evaluate these connections specifically in remote workers. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is utilized as an organizing theory to better understand how the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced individuals' perceptions of work and how that may have impacted their relationship with work. This also helps outline the potential for bias that this study needs to consider. Additional discussion is included on how to use mindfulness in proactive and reactive ways to address employee outcome concerns. The limitations that a lack of cost modeling and return on investment data presents to the widespread implementation of mindfulness strategies is acknowledged. Survey research was conducted on # participants from the following industries within the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia: education, healthcare, agriculture, and workforce development. The significant results of this research are expected to be strong relationships between mindfulness and the relevant employee outcomes, specifically self-efficacy and stress, but also some relationship to mental health and burnout. The implications of this research will hopefully be information to equip employers and employees to use the option of remote work when appropriate to benefit the company and meet the employees individual needs. Discussion concludes with recommendations for additional research on the value and cost of mindfulness strategies at the personal and organizational levels. Additional work on the return on investment of mindfulness strategies and formal trainings is also vital for future research to have a salient impact on the business and educational fields.
Impact of Mindfulness on Employee Outcomes
This research project evaluates the relationship between mindfulness and employee outcomes for remote workers within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Work conditions brought on by the pandemic quarantine are discussed and considered to holistically appreciate this relationship. The specific conditions discussed are the following: employees’ choice to work, their physical workspace, the support of their management, the reality of their work life balance, their level of collaboration and communication with their teams, and their home life circumstances which include spouses and older parents and children. Each of these conditions contributes to employees’ outcomes. Mindfulness is defined and viewed from two different perspectives: as a trait that individuals already possess, or as a strategy to address unforeseen issues within larger groups. It can be used as a training strategy within the company or as supported suggested practice within company culture. Supervisors and managers will play an important role in allowing mindfulness perspectives and practices to exist within an organizations environment. Demonstration and discussion of the relationship between mindfulness and the employee outcomes of stress, mental health, self-efficacy, and burnout within the literature are included, as well as studies that evaluate these connections specifically in remote workers. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is utilized as an organizing theory to better understand how the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced individuals' perceptions of work and how that may have impacted their relationship with work. This also helps outline the potential for bias that this study needs to consider. Additional discussion is included on how to use mindfulness in proactive and reactive ways to address employee outcome concerns. The limitations that a lack of cost modeling and return on investment data presents to the widespread implementation of mindfulness strategies is acknowledged. Survey research was conducted on # participants from the following industries within the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia: education, healthcare, agriculture, and workforce development. The significant results of this research are expected to be strong relationships between mindfulness and the relevant employee outcomes, specifically self-efficacy and stress, but also some relationship to mental health and burnout. The implications of this research will hopefully be information to equip employers and employees to use the option of remote work when appropriate to benefit the company and meet the employees individual needs. Discussion concludes with recommendations for additional research on the value and cost of mindfulness strategies at the personal and organizational levels. Additional work on the return on investment of mindfulness strategies and formal trainings is also vital for future research to have a salient impact on the business and educational fields.
