{"id":890,"date":"2018-09-25T18:41:58","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T18:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/?p=890"},"modified":"2018-09-25T18:43:06","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T18:43:06","slug":"employees-asleep-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/employees-asleep-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Your Employees Asleep On the Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does sleep have to do with workplace productivity? Pretty much everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.psyking.net\/HTMLobj-4363\/Effects_of_Sleep_Deprivation-Schumacher_and_Sipes-Final.pdf\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on this topic is abundant and clear:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.webmd.com\/sleep-disorders\/features\/tired-at-work#1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chronic sleep deprivation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> negatively affects concentration, reaction time, decision making, and memory.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who are<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25608023\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sleep deprived<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have trouble completing many tasks that require logical reasoning or complex thought.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One study found that being sleep deprived is basically<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/lissette-calveiro\/studies-show-sleep-deprivation-performance-is-similar-to-being-under-the-influence-of-alcohol_b_9562992.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the same as being drunk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while most businesses would never allow an employee to be intoxicated on the job, they often allow (and even encourage!) sleep-deprived individuals to come to work every single day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Are employers responsible?<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may think lack of sleep is strictly a personal issue. And you\u2019re partially right. Your employees are in charge of their own sleep habits. However, work is definitely a factor in how those sleep habits develop or change over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, you may only see your colleagues working away during their scheduled shifts. But what you might not realize is just how much work and\/or work stress is also creeping into their off hours and causing them to lose sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent CareerBuilder<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.psyking.net\/HTMLobj-4363\/Effects_of_Sleep_Deprivation-Schumacher_and_Sipes-Final.pdf\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> revealed some fascinating statistics. Of the 3,200 workers surveyed, 61% of them reported that sleep deprivation affected their work in one or more ways. A full 58% of respondents said they didn\u2019t get enough sleep, and 44% admitted that just thinking about work kept them up at night. Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who reported getting the doctor-recommended 8 hours per night was a shocking 16%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many work-related reasons why your employees are finding it harder and harder to get enough sleep, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long commutes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24-hour accessibility<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing workloads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extended hours\/overtime<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Off-hour or rotating shifts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stressful work environments<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unattainable performance metrics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These factors can result in stressful work days\u2014 and sleepless nights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>How can companies help?<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It all starts with being aware of the issue and educating your employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much investigation has been done on how to combat or reduce fatigue, both in the immediate moment and over the long term, and there is<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/topic\/how-to-sleep-better\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lots of information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> available online. Communicate with your employees about the importance of sleep and provide them with information on how they can help achieve it through regular exercise, relaxation rituals, and unplugging from work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But communication is just the beginning. If you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">want to make a difference, take a look at your current processes and incorporate ways to address some of the key stressors affecting your employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Long commutes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allow employees to adjust their schedules to avoid traffic delays. Consider telecommuting options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>24-hour accessibility: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage employees to unplug when at home. Provide flexible paid time off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Increasing workloads: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your team if they feel their tasks are manageable and achievable, then make adjustments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Extended hours\/overtime: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are those long shifts really necessary? Could you do some hiring?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Off-hour or rotating shifts: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide ample break times. Consider napping and exercise rooms. Provide coffee and tea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Stressful work environment: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look to your leadership team to troubleshoot workplace issues. Build a strong culture of teamwork and communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Unattainable performance metrics: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How are you measuring success? Is it realistic? Does it need to be re-defined?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may sound strange to examine your HR and business processes from a sleep perspective, but don\u2019t let that stop you from thinking about ways to encourage less stress and more shuteye.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, you can\u2019t drive great results if your employees are asleep at the wheel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recruiting and retaining employees is easier when you can proudly offer a comprehensive benefits plan that makes your team members feel as valuable as they are. At Sonus Benefits, we build cost-effective, long-lasting employee benefits strategies to keep your business and your employees in optimum health.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does sleep have to do with workplace productivity? Pretty much everything. The research on this topic is abundant and clear: Chronic sleep deprivation negatively affects concentration, reaction time, decision making, and memory. People who are sleep deprived have trouble completing many tasks that require logical reasoning or complex thought. One study found that being&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are Your Employees Asleep On the Job? - Sonus Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/employees-asleep-job\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Your Employees Asleep On the Job? - Sonus Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does sleep have to do with workplace productivity? 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