Why sleep should be a key priority for employers
When the pandemic hit, most offices shifted overnight to being fully based at home. Whilst many have returned to the office part or possibly all of the time, the lines between work and home have become more blurred. And the biggest issue affecting a lot of us that needs urgent attention is sleep which recent surveys have shown we are neglecting and is having an impact on our mental health and wellbeing. More screen time over the past few years has affected our sleep massively.
According to CIPD, mental health is one of the top 3 causes of long-term sickness absence (56%) compared to 2016 (42%). More employers report increases in stress related absence, staff disclosing a mental health condition and a growing culture of presenteeism and leaveism than previous years. (CIPD, 2018) The lines between work and personal life are becoming increasingly blurred in a hyperconnected world where we have 24/7 access to e-mails and social media. Long working hours culture, pressure to instantly respond to e-mails and long commutes is having an impact on our quality of sleep. In fact, it is estimated that lost sleep costs the UK economy about £30 billion each year. (Business in the Community, 2018)
Working long hours or pulling an “all nighter” is still regarded in some companies and some industries as a badge of honour but as research has shown it can affect our judgement and ability to solve problems or make decisions. In fact, research by McKinsey shows a strong link between quality of sleep and effective leadership. (McKinsey, 2016)
A survey of HR professionals by the Mental Health Foundation and LinkedIn in 2020 found that three quarters of HR leaders think the risk of employee burnout had increased potentially as a result of a new culture of “e-presenteeism” brought about by mass homeworking during the Covid-19 pandemic (The Mental Health Foundation, 2020).
Prioritising our physical and mental health, learning to switch off from our electronic devices and improving our quality of sleep benefits everyone in terms of productivity, reducing sickness absence and employee wellbeing.
Encouragingly, employers are becoming more aware of the impact lack of sleep has on employee wellbeing and mental health and productivity levels with some taking measures to address this:
Introducing an organisation wide no work e-mail policy after normal working hours.
Encouraging staff to take breaks from their screen, news and social media (and especially when working from home when it is easier to sit at your desk without a colleague encouraging you to grab some lunch outside)
Providing areas for relaxation/quiet space where staff can switch off including relaxation or nap pods.
Provide training to line managers to be able to recognise the signs of sleep deprivation and create a safe space for managers and employees to talk openly about any sleep issues.
Introduce walk and talk meetings to encourage colleagues to get outside. Being outdoors is proven to help us sleep better at night.
Introducing such measures into the workplace and people policies should help support employees to sleep better, perform to their full potential and improve overall productivity.
