Recent research shows there is a growing burden of sleeplessness among corporate employees. An emotional wellness report (1) by HCL Healthcare done after analysing more than 4,200 consultations across five major companies found that nearly half of the employees were sleep deprived. Also, one in five employees experienced consistent poor sleep quality.
 

In pursuit of meeting targets and gaining successful business outcomes, corporate employees often burn the midnight oil compromising on sleep. However, are employees unknowingly accumulating a debt called sleep, hiding behind the short-term business gains?

Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury

Fatigue caused due to lack of sleep is not just an individual problem but can also cost businesses heavily. Ensuring one gets a good night’s rest is therefore important. For some, reading a book before bed might help them relax, while for others it might be meditation.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also has a little hack that he follows to ensure a good sleep. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared that he sometimes follows a technique called non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) to unwind himself (3). He listens to podcasts on NSDR on YouTube that involves self-inducing a state of calmness and directing one’s focus on something else. This helps him relax and fall asleep more easily.

Sharing his personal health transformation story during an event hosted by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) held this year in Delhi, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah had said that making lifestyle changes like ensuring six hours of sleep and exercising every day for two hours has improved his ability to work, think critically and make decisions. (4)

 

Sleep quality enhances employee productivity

Work-related stress, that includes targets, deadlines and productivity can be an add-on cause for the employees’ sleep problems, apart from personal stressors. Sacrificing sleep for the sake of finishing tasks to meet the deadlines can cause irreversible effects on the performance and productivity of employees.

Here’s how sleep can influence an employee’s behaviour and overall performance at work.

Encouraging a sleep-friendly culture

Sedentary lifestyle and workplace habits can sabotage employees’ sleep. But, the key to boosting employee performance and productivity at workplace is ensuring they are well-rested. This also contributes to better job satisfaction.

Following a consistent sleep routine such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, avoiding skipping meals and eating at odd hours can help boost better sleep. While engaging in social activities can help reduce work stress, it often comes at the cost of sleep. Employees should plan the events in such a way that it do not compromise on their sleep.

In addition to this, companies can educate employees and adopt some sleep-friendly practices that can contribute to better health and productivity at workplace. Some of them include:

• Encouraging work-life balance: Set a time to cut off from work devices after reaching home. Working late at night lead to employees getting exposed to blue-light emitted from laptops that can affect production of melatonin, the hormone that helps one fall asleep faster.
• Creating rest-friendly spaces: Taking short naps of 20 minutes can help reset the body and reduce the effects of inadequate sleep. Incorporating innovative solutions like nap pods can help employees get the required rest without affecting their productivity.
• Healthy working practices: ‘Sitting is the new smoking’ and corporate employees often spend long hours at their desk. This lifestyle can increase risk of comorbidities like heart conditions. Creating healthy working practices like allowing short breaks in between for walks, ensuring the desks are set up ergonomically to prevent neck strain can help focus on work better and ensure good sleep.

The success of a company lies in well-rested employees. Prioritizing employee sleep can not only help boost their performance and productivity at workplace but also help companies hit bottom lines through increased productivity and reduced absenteeism.