New Study Shows Benefits of Workplace Mindfulness Programs

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 |  By Paul Harrison

A new study by researchers in Japan reveals that workplace mindfulness programs can increase employees’ mood, energy, and engagement levels at work.

Every week here at The Daily Meditation we receive inquiries from HR professionals interested in using meditation to reduce employee stress levels and in turn increase productivity. 

Such mindfulness programs are becoming ever more popular, a natural response to the endless stress of email lists and client phone calls. But the research on such programs has been somewhat limited. Indeed, researchers a the Department of Tourism and Health in Japan state that until now, research on workplace mindfulness programs has focused solely on employees mood before and after the program. The researchers decided to change that.

Research into Workplace Mindfulness Programs

The team, led by Shinyu Kise and Shohei Yoshihara took 25 full-time employees in Japan, average age 40, 60% male. Half took part in a workplace mindfulness program (12 people), and the other half were put on a waiting list (13 people). The program consisted of three workshops, one per month, each 90 minutes, as well as doing daily “micro-practice” at home (5 minutes of stretching and 5 minutes of mindful breathing, morning and evening). They also took advice on diet, exercise (including squats, HIIT), gut health, and sleep, daily stress checks using a phone app, and a goal of 8,000 steps a day and one fasting session during the program. Needless to say, this was an intensive program and did not isolate mindfulness and meditation from other aspects like physical exercise.

The team soon saw results. The mindfulness program group felt less tired and reported better workplace performance. But the biggest effect was in mood. The mindfulness program group’s mood improved steadily over three months (about 27% lower Total Mood Disturbance after 1 month, 40% lower after 3 months). The control group’s mood slightly worsened.

It should be mentioned, however, that because the program included not just mindfulness meditation but also stretching, physical activity goals, dietary changes, and fasting, the mood improvements seen in the test group may not be due to mindfulness alone. Exercise and diet are both known to improve mood and energy, so the results likely reflect the combined impact of multiple lifestyle changes, not just meditation.

What It Means

  • Even a “light” program combining mindfulness, movement, diet tips, and self-monitoring can steadily improve mood over several months.
  • Benefits appeared quickly and kept building.
  • Fatigue and work performance may take longer to improve.

Conclusion

A short, low-commitment mindfulness program delivered once a month, combined with brief daily exercises, can lead to meaningful mood improvements in employees over three months. Larger studies using medical measures and workplace performance data are needed to confirm the results and see how it compares to online or hybrid delivery.