Mindfulness training for work performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) are suggested to improve work performance despite scarcity of evidence. We synthesised randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the impact of MBPs on adults’ work performance. The primary outcome was task performance. Secondary outcomes were contextual performance, adaptive performance, and counter-productive behaviour. In March 2021 we searched ASSIA, EMBASE, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2 was used. We conducted pairwise random-effects meta-analyses to calculate Hedges’ gs. A total of 47 studies (N = 5041) were included, all of them with high risk of bias. MBPs were not found to improve task performance (k = 7, n = 454, Hedges’ g = 0.52, 95% CI -0.03 to 1.07, p = 0.059) up to 4 weeks post-intervention compared to passive control groups. However, MBPs improved adaptive performance and contextual performance. The number of studies was insufficient for comparisons with active control groups. Confidence in the review results, per Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), is low to very low. Future trials need to improve their quality to confirm effects on work performance and use active as well as passive control groups.