Sleep-deprived workers cost the economy

Employees are typically less productive when they are overworked and sleep-deprived, says Lauren Salt, an executive in ENSafrica’s employment department. According to a Business Tech report, she cited a recent SA study conducted by Charles King from the University of Stellenbosch Business School which found that a lack of sleep among employees results in direct and indirect costs to employers. The study found that sleep-deprived employees are at higher risk of life-threatening chronic illness and disability, are more likely to cause workplace accidents, less productive and more absent – adding up to an economic liability in the billions. ‘SA corporates seem to maintain the idea that the more sleep-deprived and exhausted you are, the harder you must be working and if you are napping on the job, you are lazy or not coping. This is an outdated view which employers ought to move away from if they want to retain not only healthy employees but happy ones too. This is particularly important for the upcoming Millennial and Gen Z workforce who are quick to change jobs if their needs are not being accommodated.’