Mindfulness as a cognitive–emotional segmentation strategy: An intervention promoting work–life balance

Abstract

Employees struggling with work‐related cognitions, emotions, and associated energy levels during non‐work time can find their private roles impaired and work–life balance derogated. To reduce unwanted psychological preoccupation with work concerns, boundary theory suggests employees find their ideal way to integrate or segment both life domains. In this study, the authors design and evaluate an intervention teaching mindfulness as a cognitive–emotional segmentation strategy to promote work–life balance. They use a randomized waitlist control group design to evaluate effects of a 3‐week online self‐training intervention, with 246 employees participating at pre‐ and post‐test, and 191 participating at a 2‐week follow‐up. As expected, experimental group participants, compared with control group participants, experienced significantly less strain‐based work–family conflict and significantly more psychological detachment and satisfaction with work–life balance. Practitioner points Mindfulness, a cognitive–emotional segmentation strategy, enables employees to balance between work and private life. Voluntary organizational health and work–life balance programmes should include low‐cost but effective brief mindfulness interventions.

Internet-based instructor-led mindfulness for work-related rumination, fatigue, and sleep: Assessing facets of mindfulness as mechanisms of change. A randomized waitlist control trial.

“…It has also been shown to confer benefits on various wellbeing 3 related outcomes; for example, coping capabilities, purposefulness in life and the experience of positive emotions (e.g., Fredrickson et al, 2008). With regard to occupational health, mindfulness has been shown to be effective in: reducing daily hassles, psychological distress, and medical symptoms (Williams, Kolar, Reger, & Pearson, 2001;Dane, 2011); reducing emotional exhaustion and improving job satisfaction (Hulsheger et al, 2013); increasing employee engagement (Leroy, Anseel, Dimitrova, & Sels, 2013); improving sleep quality (Wolever, Bobinet, McCabe, Mackenzie, Fekete, Kusnick, et al, 2012;Hulsheger, Lang, Depenbrock, Fehrmann, Zijlstra, & Alberts, 2014;Hulsheger, Feinholdt, & Nubold, 2015); reducing perceived stress (Wolever et al, 2012); and increasing psychological detachment from work and satisfaction with work-life balance (Michel, Bosch, & Rexroth, 2014).…”

“…In a recent study , Michel et al (2014) suggested that mindfulness could prove to be an effective remedy for rumination because it would provide an effective cognitive-emotional segmentation strategy to help shape boundaries between work and home lives. Furthermore, learning mindfulness may enable people to accept (without judgement) their thoughts and feelings.…”

Gestión individual del equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal: Revisión e integración de la literatura

“…En el mismo sentido, Michel, Bosch & Rexroth (2014) manifiestan que los individuos que incorporan prác-ticas de atención plena (mindfulness) mejoran su distanciamiento psicológico del trabajo cuando están fuera del ámbito laboral, experimentando menos conflicto basado en tensión o agotamiento y aumentando la satisfacción con su equilibrio trabajo-vida.…”

The Relationship Between Work–Family Conflict, Correctional Officer Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction

“…Future research should consider additional measures of correctional officer mental and physical health. The growing literature on mindfulness could be particularly instructive in programs and training that could be developed to reduce employee complacency and in turn increase officer and organizational safety (Michel, Bosch, & Rexroth, 2014). Measures of physical health may lead to organizational modifications that reduce use of sick time and rates of employee absenteeism (Magnavita & Garbarino, 2013).…”