Poll: 63% do not currently support staff sleep habits

ginger tabby kitten sleeping on a fluffy blanket

Employee Benefits poll: Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents do not currently support employees’ sleep habits.

A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 38 responses, also found that 53% of respondents do not provide sleep hygiene support and have no plans to do so in the future. A further 11% do not offer support at present but intend to do so.

A fifth (21%) of respondents support staff sleep habits through work-life balance policies, 11% do so through the provision of wellbeing benefits, and 2% offer sleep support through education initiatives.

Poor sleep habits can impact on employees’ wellbeing and performance in the workplace. Research by Willis Towers Watson, published in July 2017, found that 66% of employee respondents believe tiredness negatively affects productivity at work.

Some employers are taking action to address this. In January 2017, for example, Westfield Health introduced sleep coaching sessions for the 200 staff based at its head office in Sheffield. The initiative was designed to enhance employee wellbeing and improve sleep quality.

Read more about supporting staff sleep habits in Is sleep management the next big thing in workplace health and wellbeing?