'Work smarter, not harder' is a mantra many of us have adopted in order to get through a particularly stressful working week
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‘Work smarter, not harder’ is a mantra many of us have adopted in order to get through a particularly stressful working week. However, it seems as if the hours spent outside of our offices have a greater impact on our overall job satisfaction than those wiled away at our desks – and sleep is the key.
Recent report Workplace Wellbeing found that the better quality of sleep we enjoy, the greater our sense of job satisfaction. After surveying 1,000 employees, the research highlighted that poor sleepers are more likely to search for a new role compared to their well-rested colleagues – 54% vs 45%.
Also, troubled sleepers are even more prone to job-related stress (and work in general is the second most common cause of stress, second only to financial woes).
With this in mind, the lead author of the study, Dr Lindsay McMillan, was quick to promote the benefits of a wholesome night’s sleep, whilst also advising employers on how best to help their stress-induced staff.
“The effect work stress has on sleep can form a vicious cycle and while some large workplaces have implemented innovations like sleep pods, there are some more basic measures leaders can take,” he explained. “Make sure workloads are manageable and that expectations are reasonable, minimize emails after hours and take a look at overtime hours – these may be eating into your workers’ rest.”
Other findings of the research include:
- It’s not just employees who are feeling the effects of career pressure – employers are statistically more stressed in all areas of their lives compared to their employees, their work being the main cause
- Everyone agrees that unrealistic workload expectations are the leading negative influence on wellbeing in the workplace, but employees feel a greater impact of low team morale compared to their leaders (42% vs 31%)
- A quarter of people interviewed said that they believe their workplace’s focus on wellbeing has increased
- One in five claim they’d sacrifice a promotion in lieu of improved workplace wellbeing
