Does time awareness coaching support hybrid workers' wellbeing?: Protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background High rates of poor employee mental health and wellbeing have spurred growing demands for initiatives that support wellbeing in the workplace. The promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing is an essential component of workplace wellbeing initiatives, focusing on enhancing positive aspects of work, workers’ capacities, and positive behaviors. As one of the fastest growing practices in personal and professional development, coaching is found to improve workers’ wellbeing and performance through reflection, awareness, and meaningful goal pursuit. As time-related challenges exacerbate workplace stressors and threaten wellbeing, specific time-focused coaching approaches are essential to the promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Effectively addressing work-time challenges is especially critical for hybrid workers, who divide their work-time across multiple onsite and remote locations. Methods The current paper is a protocol for a pilot three-armed randomized controlled trial that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a time awareness coaching (TAC) intervention to support hybrid workers’ wellbeing. Sixty hybrid working participants will be randomized to either the TAC intervention, reflective time tracking (active control), or a passive control group. Professional coaches will be recruited and trained to facilitate the TAC intervention. Pre-post intervention measures of chronic time pressure, perceived control of time, perceived stress, wellbeing, and self-efficacy will be evaluated and compared across intervention arms. Qualitative feedback from participants and coaches will be collected to assess the intervention’s acceptability and implementation. Discussion The results of the study will offer insights into intervention effectiveness as well as the feasibility of critical intervention elements such as recruitment, retention, and implementation. The findings will inform recommendations for the use of TAC in future research studies and workplace wellbeing initiatives.