The Relationship between Mindfulness and the Work Performance of Employees Working in the Manufacturing Sector

Abstract

Extensive studies examining the benefits of mindfulness in clinical, professional, and personal settings have been reported in literature over the past decade. However, there is a lack of data relating to the correlation between an individual’s level of mindfulness and aspects of their work performance in an industrial manufacturing environment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between mindfulness and work performance amongst 423 full-time employees (192 males, 231 females), working in the production departments of 4 affiliated companies in Northern Thailand. The level of mindfulness was assessed through the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, Thai version. Work performance was measured through annual evaluations of each individual, pertaining to work quality, work quantity, and timeliness. The results showed a significant positive correlation between mindfulness and performance evaluation (r=0.581; p<0.01), with a positive correlation for each measured factor (quality, quantity and timeliness, in descending order of significance).