The Real Cost of Workplace Fatigue and How to Fight It With Modern Sleep Training

By: Joe Burton
couple laughing by the bed

Have you considered the full effects of workplace fatigue at your organization? What risks are you facing when your employees aren’t getting a good night’s rest? What’s the real cost of workplace fatigue?

If you haven’t asked yourself these questions, now is the time. According to the CDC, 35% of American adults aren’t getting enough sleep. The truth is many of your employees are tired and it’s negatively affecting their productivity and costing your organization a pretty penny.

A lack of #sleep in the U.S. workforce costs $411 billion per year. @WeAreRethinkCare is here to help! Check out how to fight poor sleep with modern #mindful sleep training.

Common Costs of Workplace Fatigue

Any perceptive leader recognizes that workplace fatigue takes a toll on the mental and physical wellbeing of employees. But sadly, its effects reach much further. Workplace fatigue has a serious financial impact on your organization. A lack of sleep in the U.S. workforce costs approximately $411 billion and 1.2 million lost work days per year.

Think this isn’t a big deal for your organization? Think again. For a small business with 15 employees, that would equal nearly 170 days of lost productivity, or the equivalent of $34,300 a year. Have you considered how much workplace fatigue is really affecting your bottom line? Here are just a few of the common costs associated with workplace fatigue.

Staffing Challenges

If your workforce is experiencing poor sleep they will be more likely to miss work unexpectedly. This creates stress for other employees as they rush to find a replacement. Employees may feel so rushed that they hire a replacement who is unqualified resulting in bad hire costs and increased turnover.

Overtime

Tired employees are a major quality control liability. Mistakes made by exhausted employees slow processes down and result in overtime costs.

Worker’s Compensation

Approximately 13% of work injuries can be attributed to sleep problems. Workplace fatigue can cause employees to make irrational decisions and react abnormally to stimuli. This can cause serious safety incidents resulting in steep workers compensation costs.

Motivation and Productivity Slumps

An employee’s motivation takes a hit when they feel fatigued. Sleep-deprived employees are not likely to go above and beyond at work. They are also less likely to engage in innovation. Unmotivated employees become disengaged. Organizations with engaged employees make 2.5 times more revenue than those with disengaged employees.

Healthcare Costs

It’s no surprise that poor sleep is directly related to health issues. Examples of conditions linked with insomnia include chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), overactive thyroid, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. These healthcare costs can add up quickly.

Sleep Training to the Rescue

You might be thinking “but what can I do to help my employees get better sleep? Sleep happens off the clock and I really have no control over my employee’s time away from work.” In reality, you have a unique opportunity to give your employees the gift of better sleep while improving performance and reducing risk with mindful sleep training.

Along with minimizing stress, and setting reasonable hours, mindful sleep training is the key to helping your employees get better sleep.

Adult modern sleep training is a holistic and natural approach to getting to sleep faster, staying asleep, and waking up feeling refreshed. By dedicating just a few minutes to a nighttime sleep training regime you can drastically improve your sleep habits.

Ever wondered how much your #employee’s poor sleep habits are costing your organization? Hint: it’s a lot. @WeAreRethinkCare wants to help with modern #mindful sleep training. Check it out:

Sound too good to be true? Check out the science behind modern sleep training.

Being unable to sleep or unable to sleep well isn’t uncommon in the U.S. More than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of a sleep disorder. Many sleep issues can be attributed to circadian rhythm—the 24-hour biological clock your body naturally follows.

Most people need between six and nine hours of sleep. Keeping your sleep schedule as consistent as possible helps to regulate your internal clock and results in improved sleep. But for most people going to bed and waking up at the exact same time each day isn’t realistic. Our lives are busy and inconsistent, so we need a little extra help in regulating our internal clock.

Like the mini-courses RethinkCare offers, mindful sleep training signal to the body that it’s time to enter into a sleep state. This signal regulates the body’s circadian rhythm and allows you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Now that you’re aware of the many benefits of a well-rested workforce and what you can do to help your employees get better sleep schedule a demo with RethinkCare today.

About the Author

Headshot of Joe Burton

Retired Founder and CEO of Whil and former President of Headspace

Joe is an entrepreneur in the digital wellness space, retired Founder and CEO of Whil and former President of Headspace, and spent fifteen years as a global COO in public companies. He’s an alumnus of Harvard Business School and a regular contributor to Forbes, Business Insider and The Huffington Post. He’s worked in over 50 countries and travels the world speaking on topics including disruption, culture, resiliency and mindfulness.

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