The Effectiveness of a Yoga Intervention in Improving the Wellbeing and Productivity of Desk-based Workers

Office workers are reported to spend 75% of their working day sitting (Mansoubi et al., 2016) and up to 10 hours across the whole day on workdays (Clemes et al., 2014). This presents a significant challenge to workforce well-being because of the increasing prevalence of remote work globally. A recent survey by the Office for National Statistics found that as of November 2022, the top four sectors in the UK using, or intending to use, increased homeworking as a permanent business model were those consisting of desk-based or office workers as their employees; viz information and communication (43.3%), professional scientific and technical activities (29.4%), education (17.2%), and administrative and support service activities (14.3%) (Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2022).

The most common problems among desk-based workers compared to any other occupational groups include the musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck and shoulders, wrists and hands, lower back, and upper extremities (AlOmar et al., 2021; Basakci Calik et al., 2022; Besharati et al., 2020; Bontrup et al., 2019; Mohammadipour et al., 2018). Furthermore, high sedentary behaviour is also associated with a greater risk of anxiety (Teychenne et al., 2015), depression (Hallgren et al.; Wang et al., 2019), perceived stress, particularly in white-collar employees (Dėdelė et al., 2019), adverse mental health (Hamer et al., 2014), lower job satisfaction and greater fatigue (Rosenkranz et al., 2020). Office workers, in particular, have been found to have a higher prevalence of common mental health disorders compared to other occupations in the UK (Stansfeld et al., 2011). Work-related ill health is also a significant concern for employers because of the productivity loss resulting in a substantial financial burden to the organizations (Griffiths et al., 2011; Johnston et al., 2008).

Yoga has been accepted as a holistic practice similar to mindfulness with the added advantage of components like postures (asana) and breathing practices (pranayama), providing physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual benefits (Gordon, 2013; Vergeer et al., 2021). As a multi-component practice, yoga can provide a holistic approach to managing the consequences of prolonged desk-based work. It appears to be a suitable and safe therapy that may improve pain and functional outcomes connected to a range of musculoskeletal conditions in a clinically relevant manner (Ward et al., 2013). Yoga has also shown positive effects on the mental health of various employee types, including office workers, as per two systematic reviews and a meta-analysis (Valencia et al., 2019; Valle et al., 2020). The rising prevalence of desk-based work and its likelihood of representing a larger proportion of the future workforce underlines the timeliness of this study.

Therefore, the study aims to explore the effectiveness of an 8-week yoga intervention in improving the well-being (mental and physical) and productivity (work engagement and job performance) of the yoga group compared with passive controls.