6 Ways to reduce stress in the workplace
July 30 2018
Read moreThat may sound like a bold claim, but there are figures to back it up. The NHS recommends between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, but according to a study the average UK adult gets between 5.8 and 6.8 hours a night. That’s a pretty significant lack of sleep.
So, what are the effects of not enough sleep on the workforce?
Tiredness has a serious effect on productivity. In fact, the RAND Corporation ran some numbers and found that the UK loses 200,000 working days due to the adverse effects of a lack of sleep. That adds up to $50 billion in lost earnings.
There are many ill effects of not enough sleep. While you can get away with the occasional all-nighter, continuously going to bed too late and waking up too early produces the following lack of sleep effects:
If your employees work with machinery, it’s clear this is dangerous. But it doesn’t stop there.
There's further lack of sleep side effects that can be damaging to long-term health. By neglecting your sleep hygiene, you can:
It’s not just constant daytime tiredness—there are several lack of sleep symptoms you should be aware of in your staff. If you notice:
Then it’s likely people aren’t getting enough sleep.
Some people have too much to do and the stress means they can’t drift off. Some people have children to look out for, meaning little time (and lots of noise). Some people are ‘night owls’ who find sleep at night much more difficult.
You might think this lack of sleep means it’s hard to help people. After all, there’s no catch-all solution. But there are things you can do that should help everyone.
So what can you do to combat the adverse effects of lack of sleep among your employees? While you can’t order them to sleep more, there are some friendly ways to encourage better sleep:
Health Assured can help you to communicate about the benefits of sleep to your people.
Contact us on 0844 892 2493 to talk about our EAP and the ways in which it’ll boost productivity.
Please complete the form below and we'll be in touch to answer your enquiry
Please complete the form and we'll be in touch to schedule your free consultation
We appologise but an error has occurred submitting your form. Please try again.