Lay summary
Every $1 spent on health and wellbeing promotion in the workplace brings a societal benefit in terms of health savings and worker performance of $14. Yet the workplace is often overlooked as a health intervention point. This research will identify ways to enhance health and wellbeing at work in NZ.
Mindfulness training is a cost-effective way to help employees protect their mental and physical health. Similarly, being authentic at work buffers negative work demands and protects wellbeing. However, mindfulness can worsen health for some and affects Māori and Pākeha wellbeing differently. Cultural differences also affect employee authenticity and wellbeing worldwide, but these challenges in New Zealand remain unidentified.
We aim to identify how and why being mindful and authentic at work can improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealand workers. This is the first step in developing scalable, culturally sensitive interventions to prevent ill health and promote wellbeing in New Zealand workplaces.