Examining the associations of using the Calm app with team mindfulness and psychological safety in remote workers.
Megan E. Puzia, Jeni Green, Claire Clarke, Sara Cloonan, Jen Huberty
Environmental and occupational health practice 2022 DOI: 10.1539/eohp.2022-0001-oa (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 437 |
| Population | Full-time remote employees in the United States whose employer health benefits included a Calm subscription |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mobile applications Psychological safety Team mindfulness Workplace climate |
| Key findings | Among 437 full-time remote workers, opportunities to use Calm at work were positively associated with team mindfulness (β=2.39) and psychological safety (β=1.85); using Calm with team members was associated only with team mindfulness (β=2.99), and discussing Calm with team members only with psychological safety (β=1.17). The authors suggest creating workplace opportunities to engage with a mindfulness meditation app may help foster team mindfulness and psychological safety for remote workers. |
Abstract
The purposes of this study were to (1) illustrate how remote workers engage with an employer-provided mindfulness meditation app in the workplace and (2) examine the relationship between workplace app engagement, team mindfulness, and psychological safety among remote workers. A cross-sectional survey was administered to employees within the United States who had received a subscription to Calm as part of their health benefits. Employees reported on three types of engagement with the Calm app in the context of the workplace - opportunities use to Calm together during the workday, using Calm with team members, and discussing Calm content with teams - and completed measures of team mindfulness and psychological safety. Fixed-effects regression models were used to assess effects of workplace app engagement on psychological safety and team mindfulness in remote workers. Of 60,000 workers contacted, 801 employees completed the survey (1.3%) and 437 were full-time remote workers (0.7%). Only 20% of remote workers reported having opportunities to use Calm at work. Opportunities to use Calm at work was positively associated with team mindfulness (β=2.39, p=0.005) and psychological safety (β=1.85, p=0.005). Using Calm with team members was only significantly associated with team mindfulness (β=2.99, p=0.046) and discussing Calm with team members was only significantly associated with psychological safety (β=1.17, p=0.029). Creating opportunities for employees to engage with a mindfulness meditation app while at work may help foster team mindfulness and psychological safety, especially for remote workers. Considering the research limitations, future studies should investigate longitudinal relationships within workplace teams.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Does Mindfulness Meditation Improve Anxiety and Mood Symptoms? A Review of the Controlled Research The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 2007
- A mindfulness meditation mobile app improves depression and anxiety in adults with sleep disturbance: Analysis from a randomized controlled trial General Hospital Psychiatry September 11, 2021
- Testing a mindfulness meditation mobile app for the treatment of sleep-related symptoms in adults with sleep disturbance: A randomized controlled trial PLoS One January 7, 2021
- Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials March 2, 2020
- Improvements in Stress, Affect, and Irritability Following Brief Use of a Mindfulness-based Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial Mindfulness March 1, 2018
and 2 more in the library