Effectiveness of a Multi-Modal Workplace Rest Cabin on Worker Well-Being

Overview

This study examines whether access to a rest cabin in the workplace supports employee well-being. Employees of a Canadian insurance company are randomly assigned to one of two groups: immediate access to the rest cabin or a waiting-list control group that receives access after one month. The rest cabin is installed directly in the workplace and can be reserved for short sessions during the workday. It offers multiple relaxation options, including guided meditation, massage therapy, light therapy, and a zero-gravity chair. Employees choose which options to use during each session. Participants complete questionnaires before group assignment and again one month later. Employees who receive immediate access to the cabin also complete additional follow-up questionnaires at later time points. The study compares changes in general well-being and work-related outcomes between employees who have access to the cabin and those who do not during the initial study period.

This pragmatic randomized controlled trial evaluates the effects of a multi-modal rest cabin on general and work-related well-being among employees of a Canadian insurance company. The study takes place in real-world workplace settings across multiple office locations. After providing informed consent, participants complete a baseline survey assessing general well-being and work-related outcomes. Participants are then randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) immediate access to the rest cabin or (2) a waiting-list control condition with delayed access. Employees assigned to the immediate-access group are encouraged to use the rest cabin over a four-week period. Cabin sessions are self-scheduled during work hours and are designed to be brief. The rest cabin is fully enclosed and located within the workplace. It includes several relaxation modalities, such as guided meditation, massage therapy, light therapy, and a zero-gravity chair. Participants are free to select and combine modalities based on their preferences during each session. Participants in both the immediate-access group and the waiting-list control group complete a follow-up survey one month after the baseline assessment. To examine whether any observed changes are maintained over time, participants in the immediate-access group also complete additional follow-up surveys two months and four months after baseline. It is hypothesized that workers in the experimental (vs. control) group would have better changes in scores in their general (positive and negative affect, flourishing, anxiety, depression, mindful attention awareness, insomnia) and workplace (thriving at work, burnout, absenteeism, presenteeism, job satisfaction, psychological detachment from work) positive and negative well-being when comparing Time 1 (follow-up survey) to Time 0 (baseline) (H1). Specific to those in the experimental condition, it is hypothesized that: positive changes observed following cabin use (at Time 1) would remain evident at the subsequent follow-up timepoints (Times 2 and 3), relative to baseline (H2), and changes in well-being outcomes between Time 1 and Time 0 would be greater for those who have used the cabin more often (H3). It is also hypothesized that: 4) the change in outcomes between T1 and T0 associated with being in the experimental (vs. control) condition (as discussed in H1) would be mediated by changes in psychological detachment from work and mindfulness awareness (H4), and 5) the relationship between cabin use frequency and changes in well-being outcomes (as discussed in H3) would be mediated by changes in psychological detachment and mindfulness awareness (also between T1 and T0; H5).