Addressing Remote Work Burnout: Mindfulness and Strategic Subtraction Techniques for Effective Leadership
Keywords:
management policy, employee burnout, remote employment, leadership, management interventionsAbstract
This study examines burnout reduction interventions for remote leaders, particularly in the context of COVID-19’s impact on work-life boundaries. Using a quasi-experimental design, online survey findings from remote employees were analyzed through the lens of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Job Demands-Resource Theory (JD-R). Results indicate that Mindfulness Meditation and Strategic Subtraction are effective in reducing burnout. These findings offer practical insights for organizations seeking to improve employee well-being and mitigate turnover risks in remote work settings. Implications for leadership strategies and workplace policies are discussed to support sustainable remote work environments through practical interventions.
References
Andela, M., & Truchot, D. (2017). Emotional dissonance and burnout: The moderating role of team reflexivity and re-evaluation. Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 33(3), 179–189.
Anderson, A. (2021). 12 remote work statistics to know in 2022. NorthOne. Retrieved from https://www.northone.com/blog/small-business/remoteworkstatistics#:~:text= 41%25%20of%20those%20workers%20are,to%20the%20COVID
AngChooi Hwa, M. (2012). Emotional labor and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Management Research, 12(3), 115–127.
Argyris, C., & Schön, D.A. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Addison-Wesley.
Auzoult, L., Priolo, D., Blanchet, C., & Guilbert, L. (2021). Self-and coregulation of health and performance at workplace. Psychological Studies, 66(1), 14–25.
Awa, W.L., Plaumann, M., & Walter, U. (2010). Burnout prevention: A review of intervention programs. Patient Education and Counseling, 78(2), 184–190.
Baer, R.A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125.
Bakker, A.B., & Costa, P.L. (2014). Chronic job burnout and daily functioning: A theoretical analysis. Burnout Research, 1(3), 112–119.
Bakker, A.B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285.
Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A.I. (2014). Burnout and work engagement: The JD–R approach. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behavior, 1(1), 389–411.
Bamber, M.D., & Schneider, J.K. (2022). College students’ perceptions of mindfulness-based interventions: A narrative review of the qualitative research. Current Psychology, 41(2), 667–680.
Banks, J. (2020). Leading remotely: The effects of leadership on employee burnout in a remote work environment. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(6), 719–732
Bretland, R.J., & Thorsteinsson, E.B. (2015). Reducing workplace burnout: The relative benefits of cardiovascular and resistance exercise. PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.891
Burton, A., Burgess, C., Dean, S., Koutsopoulou, G.Z., & Hugh‐Jones, S. (2017). How effective are mindfulness‐based interventions for reducing stress among healthcare professionals? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Stress and Health, 33(1), 3–13.
Charoensukmongkol, P. (2013). The contributions of mindfulness meditation on burnout, coping strategy, and job satisfaction: Evidence from Thailand. Journal of Management and Organization, 19(5), 544–558.
Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: A review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2008.0495
Coate, P. (2021, January 25). Remote work before, during, and after the pandemic. Quarterly Economics Briefing–Q42020. Retrieved from https://www.ncci.com/SecureDocuments/QEB/QEB_Q4_2020_RemoteWork.html
Collings, D.G., Nyberg, A.J., Wright, P.M., & McMackin, J. (2021). Leading through paradox in a COVID‐19 world: Human resources comes of age. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(4), 819–833. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12343
Contreras, F., Baykal, E., & Abid, G. (2020). E-leadership and teleworking in times of COVID 19 and beyond: What we know and where do we go. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(590271), 1–11.
Craig, A., Duff, J., & Middleton, J. (2022). Spinal cord injuries. In G.J.G. Asmundson (Ed.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology, 2(8), 301–328.
De Dreu, C. (2007). Cooperative outcome interdependence, task reflexivity, and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 628–638
Eby, L.T., Allen, T.D., Conley, K.M., Williamson, R.L., Henderson, T.G., & Mancini, V. (2019). Mindfulness-based training interventions for employees: A qualitative review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 29(2), 156–178.
Fazia, T., Bubbico, F., Berzuini, G., Tezza, L.D., Cortellini, C., Bruno, S., & Bernardinelli, L. (2021). Mindfulness meditation training in an occupational setting: Effects of a 12 weeks mindfulness-based intervention on wellbeing. Work, 70(4), 1089–1099.
Fisher, J. (2020, April 24). Workplace burnout survey: Burnout without borders. Deloitte. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/burnout- survey.html
Frings, D. (2017, December 14). The transactional model of stress and coping. PsychologyItBetter. Retrieved from http://psychologyitbetter.com/transactional-model-stress- coping
Fu, N., Flood, P.C., Rousseau, D.M., & Morris, T. (2021). Resolving the individual helping and objective job performance dilemma: The moderating effect of team reflexivity. Journal of Business Research, 129, 236–243.
Gabriel, K.P., & Aguinis, H. (2022). How to prevent and combat employee burnout and create healthier workplaces during crises and beyond. Business Horizons, 65(2), 183–192.
Gajendran, R.S., & Harrison, D.A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524–1541.
Ghaye, T. (2010). Teaching and learning through reflective practice: A practical guide for positive action. Routledge.
Golden, T.D., & Veiga, J.F. (2008). The impact of extent of telecommuting on job satisfaction: Resolving inconsistent findings. Journal of Management, 34(2), 317–342.
Hölzel, B.K., Lazar, S.W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D.R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on psychological science, 6(6), 537–559.
Hülsheger, U.R., Alberts, H.J., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J.W. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310.
Hunt, M., Al-Braiki, F., Dailey, S., Russell, R., & Simon, K. (2018). Mindfulness training, yoga, or both? Dismantling the active components of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention. Mindfulness, 9(2), 512–520.
Jones, J.A. (2021, November 24). Seven in 10 U.S. White-collar workers still working remotely. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/348743/seven-u.s.-white-collar workers- still-workingremotely.aspx
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156.
Kabat-Zinn, J., & Hanh, T.N. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta
Keng, S.L., Smoski, M.J., & Robins, C.J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1041–1056.
Khisty, C. J. (2010). The practice of mindfulness for managers in the marketplace. Systemic Practice & Action Research, 23(2), 115–125.
Konradt, U., Otte, K.-P., Schippers, M.C., & Steenfatt, C. (2016). Reflexivity in Teams: A Review and New Perspectives. Journal of Psychology, 150(2), 151–174.
Kouchaki, M., & Wareham, J. (2015). Excluded and behaving unethically: Social exclusion, physiological responses, and unethical behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 547.
Krasner, M.S., Epstein, R.M., Beckman, H., Suchman, A.L., Chapman, B., Mooney, C.J., & Quill, T.E. (2009). Association of an educational program in mindful communication with burnout, empathy, and attitudes among primary care physicians. Jama, 302(12), 1284–1293.
Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
Li, H., Yuan, B., Meng, Q., & Kawachi, I. (2019). Contextual factors associated with burnout among Chinese primary care providers: A multilevel analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), 3555.
Lines, R.L., Pietsch, S., Crane, M., Ntoumanis, N., Temby, P., Graham, S., & Gucciardi, D. (2021). The effectiveness of team reflexivity interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 10(3), 438–473.
Makhanova, A., & Shepherd, D.A. (2020). Preventing burnout in remote teams: The soft side of working from home. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/04/preventing-burnout-in-remote-teams-the-soft-side-of-working from-home
Maricuţoiu, L.P., Sava, F.A., & Butta, O. (2016). The effectiveness of controlled interventions on employees’ burnout: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 89(1), 1–27.
Maslach, C. (2003). Job burnout: New directions in research and intervention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5), 189–192.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M.P. (2008b). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. Wiley & Sons.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M.P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B., & Leiter, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397–422.
Moody, K., Kramer, D., Santizo, R., Magro, L., Wyshogrod, D., Ambrosio, J., & Stein, J. (2013). Helping the helpers. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 30(5), 275–284.
Moore, A., & Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and Cognition, 18(1), 176–186.
Moss, J. (2021, February 10). The burnout crisis. Harvard business school cases, 1, 1–57. Retrieved from https://store.hbr.org/product/the-burnout-crisis/bg2101?sku=BG2101-PDF-ENG
Nyberg, A.J., Shaw, J.D., & Zhu, J. (2021). The people still make the (remote work-) place: Lessons from a pandemic. Journal of Management, 47(8), 1967–1976.
Ouyang, C., Zhu, Y., Ma, Z., & Qian, X. (2022). Why Employees Experience Burnout: An Explanation of Illegitimate Tasks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 8923.
Rowe, D. (2017). The stress burden: strategies for management. Nevada RN Information, 21, 12. Retrieved from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+stress+burden%3a+strategies+for+management.
Rubi- Valdehita, S., Diaz-Ramiro, E.M., & Aparicio-García, M.E. (2020). Psychological capital, workload, and burnout: what’s new?: The impact of personal accomplishment to promote sustainable working conditions. Sustainability, 12(19), 8124.
Sarazine, J., Heitschmidt, M., Vondracek, H., Sarris, S., Marcinkowski, N., & Kleinpell, R. (2021). Mindfulness workshop effects on nurses' burnout, stress, and mindfulness skills. Holistic Nursing Practice, 35 (1), 10–18.
Sandaunet, A.G. (2008). The challenge of fitting in: non‐participation and withdrawal from an online self‐help group for breast cancer patients. Sociology of Health & Illness, 30(1), 131–144.
Schaufeli, W.B., & Bakker, A.B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi‐sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 25(3), 293–315.
Schulte, B., & Pabst, S. (2021, August 27). Combating burnout as a single working parent. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2021/06/combating-burnout-as-a-singleworking-parent
Sulea, C., Maricuțoiu, L.P., Comanescu, A., & Sava, F.A. (2020). Organizational and individual predictors of telecommuting-induced strain and job burnout. Current Psychology, 39(3), 855–862.
Sull, D., Sull, C., & Bersin, J. (2020). Five ways leaders can support remote work. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(4), 1–10.
Virgili, M. (2015). Mindfulness-based interventions reduce psychological distress in working adults: A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Mindfulness, 6(2), 326–337.
Wadhen, V., & Cartwright, T. (2021). Feasibility and outcome of an online streamed yoga intervention on stress and wellbeing of people working from home during COVID-19. Work, 1–19.
West, C.P., Dyrbye, L.N., & Shanafelt, T.D. (2018). Physician burnout: contributors, consequence and solutions. Journal of Internal Medicine, 283(6), 516–529.
Young, R.A. (2020). Remote work: Pandemic & beyond. Arkansas Business, 37(26), 19.
Zimmerman, B., & Kitsantas, A. (2007). Reliability and validity of self-efficacy for learning form (SELF) scores of college students. Zeitschrift für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 215(3), 157–163.