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

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.