Insufficient Sleep at Work has Consequences

Are you Exhausted at Work?

It’s time for a wake-up call when nearly three-quarters (74%) of U.S. workers say they work while tired, and nearly one-third (31%) say they do so very often.

That’s the findings of a new survey by staffing firm Accountemps, and the productivity impact parallels the health & safety impact the CDC cited when describing sleep deficiency as “A Public Health Problem.”

The costs of working tired – both for professionals and the businesses they work for – are high: Respondents cite lack of focus or being easily distracted (52%), procrastinating more (47%), being grumpy (38%) and making more mistakes (29%) among the consequences. (See survey findings infographic below.)

Here at Modern Health Talk, I often discuss Sleep issues because of the wide scale of the problem and its huge impact on our Health, Safety and Performance. This is also why I also support the good work of Intelligent Sleep, which offers natural & holistic sleep solutions with a vision of population sleep wellness. (Wayne Caswell, founder & senior editor)

Work may not be the only issue keeping people up at night, but it’s critical for managers to take action. “There is no upside to having an exhausted team at work,” said Bill Driscoll, a district president for Accountemps. “Talk to your employees individually to come up with solutions.”

Driscoll noted that these discussions can yield a number of ideas to help remedy the situation. “Offering a more flexible schedule may alleviate long and costly commutes. Bringing temporary staff on board may cut down on working after-hours. Reorganizing current priorities may lead to more manageable workloads.”

Driscoll added, “Failing to take action can lead to big problems such as burnout, turnover and a negative corporate culture, along with lost sales and productivity.”

Additional points from the Accountemps survey:

• Younger workers might be burning the midnight oil. 86% of professionals between the ages of 18 and 34 admitted to being sleepy at work often, compared to 71% of workers ages 35 to 54 and only 50 percent of respondents ages 55 and older. Slightly more men (77%) than women (71%) said they often work while tired.
• 55% of workers said they would use a nap room if their employer offered one. 2% said their employer already provides a nap room and they take advantage of it.
• 33% of workers who said they would not take advantage of a nap room cited the following reasons: It might make them sleepier (46%), they don’t want to be perceived as a slacker (35%), and they worry about not getting their work done (34%).

Professionals admitted to – or heard of others – making the following mistakes due to being tired on the job:

• Made a $20,000 mistake on a purchase order
• Deleted a project that took 1,000 hours to put together
• Accidentally reformatted a server
• Fell asleep in front of the boss during a presentation
• Missed a decimal point on an estimated payment and the client overpaid by $1 million
• Accidentally paid everyone twice
• Talked about a client thinking the phone was on mute … it wasn’t
• Ordered 500 more computers than were needed

Accountemps offers managers the following tips for maintaining a well-rested staff:

• Manage workloads. Meet with employees regularly to evaluate what’s on their plates and set priorities and realistic expectations based on business needs. If there’s too much work to go around, consider bringing in temporary help to keep projects moving forward while relieving the burden on full-time staff.
• Encourage employees to take breaks. Some professionals might choose to forgo breaks to get their work done. But remind staff that a tired employee isn’t an effective or productive one – they need an occasional time-out to recharge.
• Consider making meaningful changes. Implementing flexible schedules and telecommuting options or providing rest areas in the building can make a big difference for workers.
• Lead by example. As a manager, employees take their cues from you, so set a good example. Take sporadic breaks, get away from your desk and work normal business hours. Your staff will likely follow suit.

About the Research

The survey was conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 1,000 U.S. workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.

About Accountemps

Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The staffing firm has more than 330 offices worldwide. More resources, including online job search services and the company’s blog, can be found at accountemps.com.

Sleep Survey Findings Infographic