In spite of all of our modern technological advances, people are busier at work than ever before and losing sleep in the process. While some may find sleep to be a bit of an annoyance or something that they can skimp on, the truth is that not getting enough sleep can cost you and the company you work for not only in terms of productivity, but by making costly mistakes.
A recent article by Human Resources Online cited a study conducted by Accounttemps that found nearly three-quarters of workers indicated that they have worked while tired. Some 31% of the workers who were surveyed said that working while tired is a regular practice.
The survey further found that working with a lack of sleep caused 52% of employees to have a lack of focus and caused them to be easily distracted. Forty-seven percent of workers surveyed said that being tired caused them to procrastinate more often and 38% said it made them grumpier and more irritable. With 29% of those surveyed admitting to making mistakes while working on little sleep, some of the mistakes made where significant.
Some of the mistakes made as a result of not getting enough sleep and working while tired on the job were:
* Deleting a project that involved more than 1,000 hours of work.
* Making a $20,000 mistake on a purchase order.
* Ordering 500 more PC’s than were needed.
* Misplacing a decimal point on an estimated payment that caused them to over pay by $1 million.
* Mistakenly talking about a client when the phone was believed to be on mute but wasn’t.
Being tired at work seems to be an epidemic. In a separate study conducted by CareerBuilder of the 3,252 employees who took part in the survey, some 44% said that thinking about their job even on their off hours caused 6 out of 10them to lose sleep or dream about work. For 13% of those who said that thoughts of work invade their thoughts while at home said that dreams about work were frequent all of the time. Whether it is a dream about telling the boss off or getting into a fight with a colleague or even showing up at work in their pajamas, thoughts of work are still present for those workers and cause additional sleeplessness or stress.
According to Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, “We see more and more workers check into the office at all hours of the day, give up vacation time and work even when they’re sick. Yet it’s not necessarily making us more productive, and companies are starting to recognize that.
Haefner says that increasingly, companies are beginning to see the human cost and are putting more focus on employee wellness and encouraging workers to take vacation time to actually rest. Some are even offering more in terms of flexibility to ensure that workers are operating at their peak by getting enough rest and focusing on wellness – which includes the necessity of a good night’s sleep.
It’s important when doing business to do everything possible not to make costly mistakes like those mentioned above. At NetPEO, we can help with those concerns. We offer a wide range of services which include payroll, employee benefits, liability management for employers, brokerage services, and employee leasing.
We utilize our broad network of highly qualified service providers and can help your company fulfill those in a way that is most advantageous to your needs. NetPEO will also stay involved with your business and are there to help any time you need us.
Contact us today to discuss your company’s current needs and for a free, no risk assessment. Contact us today to schedule an initial needs analysis at 678-841-7449.