Effects of mindfulness on occupational stress and job satisfaction of hospitality and service workers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hospitality and service workers commonly work under psychological and physical pressure with long working hours, resulting in high levels of occupational stress that affect their overall well-being and job satisfaction. This study investigates the effects of a mindfulness intervention on occupational stress and job satisfaction of hospitality and service workers. A total of 14 professionals participated in the study. They integrated a 15 to 30-minute audio mindfulness session into their daily work routine for fifteen days. A quasi-experimental pretest-intervention-posttest design was used. To measure the effects over the intervention period, a paired samples t-test was conducted. When data were not normally distributed, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed to assess changes. After the intervention, participants showed significantly higher values in general mindfulness and job satisfaction and significantly lower scores in occupational stress. The present study shows that even low-cost, self-directed mindfulness training has a beneficial impact with significant work- and health-related relevance. Based on these findings, managers in the hospitality industry are recommended to invest in mindfulness training and integrate it into their human resources strategy.