Examining the effect of different facets of mindfulness on work engagement

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between mindfulness and work engagement, with a particular focus on exploring the extent to which four facets of mindfulness, i.e. “attention”, “awareness”, “present focus” and “acceptance” impact on work engagement.

Exploratory factor and multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypothesised relationships among a sample of 130 employees.

The findings show that mindfulness as a single construct is positively related to work engagement. The analysis from the facet level of mindfulness illustrates that each of four facets is also significantly related to work engagement. In particular, employees with refined attentional skills and accepting the present moment reality were found to contribute more to work engagement.

Organisational programs that focus on building personal resources could use the meditation-based mindfulness programs to help individuals widen attention span as well as to develop non-judgemental attitude.

Focussing on developing mindful employees and promoting mindfulness practices at workplace, especially, by working on specific strategies, to expand “attentional skills” and the “attitude of accepting the present moment reality” may be another promising strategy to enhance work engagement.