Example — an illustrative record showing the WASTE article format. WASTE is pre-launch; this is not a published, peer-reviewed article.
No Significant Effect of Mindfulness Intervention on Workplace Productivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Supplementary materials are linked from the published record.
Abstract
This pre-registered randomized controlled trial (n=450) found no statistically significant effect of an 8-week workplace mindfulness program on objectively measured productivity metrics (p=0.78, 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.15).
Participants were randomized to an app-guided mindfulness condition or an active control (general wellness content). Productivity was measured via task throughput and manager-blind performance ratings collected over 12 weeks.
While self-reported stress decreased modestly in the intervention arm, this did not translate into any measurable productivity gain. We report the full null result to counterbalance the well-documented publication bias toward positive mindfulness findings.
Failure Analysis
Stage: Hypothesis / Effect size
Primary causes
- Assumed effect size was larger than any plausible real effect
- Productivity is multiply determined; an individual-level intervention is underpowered against it
Boundary conditions: A productivity effect may still exist for specific high-stress roles or longer interventions; this trial only rules out a broad short-term effect at the measured magnitude.
Lessons Learned
- Self-reported stress reduction did not predict any change in objective productivity.
- An active control arm is essential; a passive control would likely have manufactured a spurious effect.
- Pre-registration prevented post-hoc reframing of the null as a secondary positive finding.
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