What Stress And Lack Of Sleep Will Do To Your Staff

Stress occurs in many businesses and while it can be attributed to long workdays and growing workloads, there may be something else to blame and that is lack of sleep. Many individuals report that they get an average of 5-6 hours of sleep a night. The best thing you can do is to rest at least 8 hours a night to help your body rejuvenate itself but also to ensure that you are going to function properly. Without appropriate levels of sleep it is common to see people having a hard time getting through their workdays and it's also common to see them deal with increased amounts of stress. When you sleep, your body is better equipped to deal with the stress burden that you may need to place on it. So what can an employer do when their employees are not getting adequate amounts of sleep?

Hold training meetings
A great way to encourage your employees to start getting more sleep is by talking to them about it. You should hold health fairs and other things and discuss the consequences that can happen when people do not get enough sleep. It's common to see an increase in obesity as this is a side effect to lack of sleep. Irritability is another thing that commonly comes when you are not properly rested. If you are afraid your employees won't listen to you about it, you should talk to your health insurance company to see if they can send in some professionals to come and teach a variety of training seminars on how to improve your health. This is a great way to address the sleep issue but also to talk about other things that may be a concern as well like not exercising, unhealthy eating, and learning to manage stress.

Offer breaks
Some companies are giving their employees an extra break in the workday to have "nap time". There are a great number of employers that have created a dark room where their employees can go and lay down for a few minutes. A short 10-15 minute nap can help your employees to feel better and will give them more energy throughout the day to complete their tasks.

Safety Risks
Look at your employees that seem tired or lethargic throughout the day and address your concerns over their behavior. These employees may be putting the rest of your staff at a risk for safety issues. If you have heavy machinery and other equipment the employees are in charge of, not getting enough sleep can cause a huge mistake to occur. Call them into your office and talk to them about what you have noticed. You may need to let them know that their job security may be at risk for the way in which they are working. If they know that their lack of sleep is to blame, it is something that they can focus on fixing.A person that does not get adequate rest will end up with impaired judgment and it is much harder for them to have quick reflexes with things that could lead to a potential workplace accident.

When employers notice that productivity levels are down, stress is usually one of the leading factors. You need to talk to your employees about their workloads and to consider reducing hours if they are working too much. This can help them to have enough time for their personal lives so they are not sacrificing their sleep for work.Be aware of your employees health and do what you can to help them manage stress and to properly care for their bodies.