Mindfulness at Work and Its Relationship to Contextual Performance and Well-Being

Abstract

The occurrence of mindfulness trainings in profit organisations is on the increase. However, mindfulness as a quality of consciousness has rarely been investigated in work settings or with work-related concepts. Thus, the present thesis examines mindfulness in relation to contextual performance and work-related well-being. Based on literature analyses I propose three hypotheses: Firstly, mindfulness is positively associated with helping and cooperating with others, mediated by empathy. Secondly, mindfulness has a negative relationship to strain. Thirdly, mindfulness is positively associated with work engagement. The first proposition implies that mindfulness plays a crucial role beyond task-orientated work-behavior. The latter propositions suggest that mindfulness is not only related to the attenuation of detrimental effects of work stressors, but that it is also associated with positive and fulfilling work-related states of mind. Thus, the present work implies that a) mindfulness plays a crucial role in the work context that should be further investigated, b) trait mindfulness can be considered as a variable in the process of personnel selection, and in particular c) that the integration of mindfulness trainings in work life is not only beneficial for profit-orientated corporations, but also for organizations and employees in other areas, in particular in the health service sector.