Tackling worker fatigue

It is estimated that 20% of people in the developed world are suffering from sleeping problems at any one time. There is also a very strong link between poor sleep and increased stress. When stressed we find it more difficult to get to sleep, stay asleep or return to sleep after waking. When sleep deprived we become more easily stressed and find it more difficult to cope with even simple problems.

While a great many organisations now run excellent health and wellbeing programmes, the elephant slumped in the corner of the room is employee energy. Many staff are too tired to do their jobs safely and productively and probably don’t even know it.

A major study by the American College of Occupational Medicine in 2008 found that fatigue was the single greatest productivity cost to companies. Depression, back and neck pain and sleeping problems followed. When taking in to account medical and pharmacy claims fatigue was the third greatest cost to organisations. Back and neck pain was number one, followed by depression. Sleeping problems came fifth.

Typical employee wellbeing interventions target exercise, nutrition, stress, resilience and musculo-skeletal problems. Other common initiatives include “know your numbers” and smoking cessation.

Programmes to target depression and musculo-skeletal problems clearly warrant discussion. However, other typical wellbeing programmes help alleviate health conditions such as high cholesterol, hypertension and obesity. In terms of total costs to organisations these appear 6th, 8th and 9th in the list. This suggests budgets are not being allocated to programmes that will deliver the greatest immediate return on investment. Research has also shown a very clear link between sleep deprivation and the health conditions we mention in this paragraph so a programme to tackle fatigue will have a far more wide-reaching benefit.

Sleep deprivation is so endemic that no company is immune from the health, safety and productivity repercussions. However, staff working shifts, in safety critical roles or who drive long distances are particularly susceptible to tiredness and fatigue. In these roles the repercussions are also potentially more severe.

History is littered with examples of where tiredness and fatigue has been the immediate cause or major contributing factor in tragic incidents. The Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Challenger Space Shuttle, Texas train crash, Colgan air crash, Shaanxi bus crash, Herald of Free Enterprise and Selby rail crash are just a few of the many examples. Lives, livelihoods, reputations and profit all suffer.

The recent case AJ Haulage also highlights management failings. Two directors where sentenced to a combined period of 6.5 years under the Corporate Manslaughter act when one of their drivers fell asleep at the wheel and collided with stationary traffic.

As with all problems the first step is to understand the extent, impact and causes of tiredness and fatigue. To start you should run an assessment of your workforce. This can be online (ideally accessible on a smartphone) or paper-based.

With the empirical data at your fingertips you will be able to ascertain whether the extent and impact of tiredness and fatigue in staff warrants further interventions. Depending on the findings additional interventions might then included

You cannot simply expect your staff to turn up well-rested and ready to work. There may be circumstances beyond the employees control which cause fatigue. Newborn children, untreated sleep disorders or just bad sleep habits which regularly hinder the quantity and quality of sleep someone obtains are all common.

Tackling fatigue will help you improve key business metrics.

Marcus de Guingand is the managing director of the Third Pillar of Health which helps companies improve key business metrics through assessment, education and awareness around tiredness and fatigue. To understand more visit the resources section of our website www.thirdpillarofhealth.com/pages/view/whitepapers.