Implementing practices focused on workplace health and psychological wellbeing: A systematic review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to identify critical success factors for implementing workplace health and wellbeing practices (WHWPs), including mindfulness training, and assess their effects on psychological health and wellbeing.
Results Summary
Mindfulness training, as part of secondary interventions, showed beneficial effects on psychological health and wellbeing, though some benefits arose through unplanned mechanisms. Successful implementation was linked to continuation, learning, and effective governance.
Population
Workplace settings, primarily in advanced industrial Western democracies.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
workplace health and wellbeing practices (WHWPs) | no change | psychological health or wellbeing | - | no significant change | often fail to improve | #1 |
work redesign | increase | health and wellbeing | - | - | preceded improvements | #2 |
health behavior change | increase | health and wellbeing | - | - | preceded improvements | #3 |
mindfulness training | increase | health and wellbeing | - | - | preceded improvements | #4 |
rehabilitation-focused interventions | increase | health and wellbeing | - | - | preceded improvements | #5 |
multifocal interventions | increase | health and wellbeing | - | - | preceded improvements | #6 |
RATIONALE: Workplace health and wellbeing practices (WHWPs) often fail to improve psychological health or wellbeing because of implementation failure. Thus, implementation should be evaluated to improve the effectiveness of WHWPs. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review to identify critical success factors for WHWP implementation and gaps in the evidence. Doing so provides a platform for future theoretical development. METHODS: We reviewed 74 separate studies that assessed the implementation of WHWPs and their effects on psychological health or psychological wellbeing. Most studies were from advanced industrial Western democracies (71). Intervention types included primary (e.g., work redesign, 37 studies; and health behavior change, 8 studies), secondary (e.g., mindfulness training, 11 studies), tertiary (e.g., focused on rehabilitation, 9 studies), and multifocal (e.g., including components of primary and secondary, 9 studies). RESULTS: Tangible changes preceded improvements in health and wellbeing, indicating intervention success cannot be attributed to non-specific factors. Some interventions had beneficial effects through mechanisms not planned as part of the intervention. Three factors were associated with successful WHWP implementation: continuation, learning, and effective governance. CONCLUSIONS: The review indicates future research could focus on how organizations manage conflict between WHWP implementation and existing organizational processes, and the dynamic nature of organizational contexts that affect and are affected by WHWP implementation. This systematic review is registered [PROSPERO: the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ID: CRD42019119656].