# HRV-based workplace consultation for managers: a randomized controlled trial on enhancing biopsychosocial awareness and reducing perceived stress

## TL;DR

A workplace program using heart rate variability and diaries helped managers become more aware of how their mind, body, and environment interact, reducing stress.

## Contribution

A novel workplace consultation method using HRV and diary feedback to enhance biopsychosocial awareness and reduce stress.

## Key findings

- Managers in the intervention group showed greater awareness of mind–body interactions.
- Perceived stress was significantly reduced in the intervention group.
- The method supported self-regulation and behavioral change in occupational settings.

## Abstract

Effective tools are needed to communicate the biopsychosocial model of health in the workplace, emphasizing the interaction between mind, body, and environment. A 24-h heart rate variability (HRV) spectrogram, combined with a diary, was used to provide individualized feedback on these interactions.

One hundred managers from a manufacturing and engineering company in southern Germany were randomized into either an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG). The IG underwent a 24-h ECG measurement, documented daily events, and completed questionnaires. These data informed a 50-min consultation that focused on the connection among emotions, thoughts, recorded situations, and HRV. Questionnaires were repeated after 3 months. Changes in the primary outcome—awareness of biopsychosocial interactions—were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.

Data from 81 participants were included in the final analysis. Participants (94% men, mean ± SD age 48 ± 8.6 years) in the IG reported significantly greater awareness of mind–body interactions (p = 0.032, η2 = 0.057) and were more likely to respond to their body’s needs (p = 0.008, η2 = 0.085). Perceived stress was significantly reduced only in the IG (p = 0.017, η2 = 0.071).

This approach, which integrates HRV visualization with diary-based reflection, proved to be a feasible and effective method for enhancing awareness of biopsychosocial processes, supporting self-regulation, promoting behavioral change, and reducing perceived stress in occupational settings.