Sleep Better to Live Better: Restoring Energy and Vitality to Your Workforce

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Sleep Better to Live Better Restoring Energy
and Vitality to Your Workforce

• Christopher Pawson
• Manager, Employee Assistance Program
• Owens Corning
• Nerina Ramlakhan, PhD
• Director, Equilibrium Solutions

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Agenda

• Welcome
• Why Sleep Is a Health Productivity Issue
• Special Workplace Concerns
• ValueOptions Sleep Better to Live Better Program
  
• Typical Sleep Problems
• Work Environment Issues
• Practical Suggestions for Individuals and
  Organizations
• Discussion

SummitQuestions_at_valueoptions.com
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The Sleep Crisis

• We are hearing more about sleep deprivation.
• People do not make getting enough restful sleep a
  priority.
• There is a lack of sleep deprivation awareness
  and interventions in the workplace.
• There are few resources that address these
  concerns.

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Workplace Drivers

• The need for extended hours is driven by
• An increasing move toward a 24/7 economy
• Input from unions
• Market demands for products and services
• Lean/streamlined workforce
• A global marketplace

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Workplace Responses

• How these needs are traditionally met
• Shift work (rotating and fixed)
• Extended shifts (10-16 hour)
• On call
• Fewer days off
• Overtime
• Rigid break schedules

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Sleepy Workers

• According to the National Sleep Foundations 2005
  Sleep in America Survey
• only half of adults say they get a good nights
  sleep a few nights a week or more
• one half of all respondents report feeling tired,
  fatigued or not up to par during wake time at
  least one day a week
• 17 said this happens every day or almost every
  day

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The Business Need to Address Sleep

• The business case for addressing sleep concerns
  in the workplace
• Safety issues
• Personal well-being of employees
• Cost of accident (injuries and property damage)
• Productivity losses
• Workplace disruptions
• Mistakes
• Tardiness, absenteeism, presenteeism
• Excessive breaks
• Strained interpersonal relationships
• Poor communication
• Irritability
• Threat of violence and harassment
• Unfair workloads
• Estimated cost to U.S. business is 18 billion
  per year (Source National Sleep Foundation)

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Special Concern Shift Work

• What can be done during the night shift?
• Reconsider rigid rest break schedule offer
  mini-breaks during times of fatigue
• Use float staff to relieve those who need break
• Provide bright lighting to simulate day shift
• Adjust quotas and metrics for night shift
• Move physically and mentally challenging tasks to
  daytime shifts
• Provide training for supervisors to be able to
  identify symptoms of fatigue and equip them to
  respond
• Be sensitive to personal reactions and needs of
  employees
• Consider safe travel to and from work
• Set shift times based on traffic flow and least
  disruption to home life
• Offer nutritional information so workers can
  sustain energy during shift, get adequate rest
  after shift

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Solutions for Entire Workforce

• What can be done across the entire population?
• Review policies in order to support rested
  workforce
• Ensure benefit plan covers treatment for sleep
  disorders
• Consider flexible-work arrangements
• Flex time
• Job share
• Compressed hours
• Compressed workweek arrangements
• Telecommuting
• V-Time (voluntary reduced time)
• Phased retirement
• Provide lunch learn sessions
• Promote work/life balance utilize work/life
  resources (Life Balance Solutions)
• Promote EAP to help meet these concerns

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Sleep Better to Live Better Program Goals

• Improve the behavior of individuals by offering
  tools to manage better sleep and to recognize
  when medical treatment is necessary
• Support leaders in their roles as policy makers
  and managers of human capital
• Integrate seamlessly with existing wellness
  programs and exist successfully as a stand-alone
  offering

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Information and Tools

• Individuals
• A dedicated, engaging Web site
  www.valueoptions.com/members/sleepbetter
• EAP e-newsletter on Better Sleep
• Achieve Solutions home page featured topic,
  Better Sleep
• Organizations
• Enhanced CD with information and personal
  relaxation tools
• A Web site for program leaders, with key facts,
  considerations and turnkey tools
  www.valueoptions.com/clients/sleepbetter
• Client summit Webinars
• Consultation with account manager
• Professionals
• Training for EAP care management staff and EAP
  affiliate providers
• Provider e-newsletter article on sleep program
  and tools
• Contribution to professional literature -
  Journal of Employee Assistance

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Call to Action

• We have drug-free workplace policies sleep
  deprivation has been compared to having symptoms
  of intoxication. Its time we step up our
  awareness and actions to address these concerns.
• We take the stand that every employee will safely
  arrive home to their loved ones at the end of
  every workday.

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Questions?
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Creating Optimal Sleep

• Typical sleep problems
• Sleep and your energy
• The anatomy of sleep
• Optimal sleep tools

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Typical Sleep Problems

• Tired but wired
• Falling asleep easily, frequent waking
• Waking in early hours, unable to get back to
  sleep
• Sleeping 7-9 hrs but waking tired
• Shallow, thinking sleep
• Teeth grinding

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Typical Sleep ProblemsHealth Symptoms

• Digestive IBS, ulcers
• Immune system
• Adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue
• Skin complaints
• Endocrine problems
• Psychiatric disorders anxiety, depression
• Addictions

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Typical Sleep Problems Organisational

• Low morale, poor relationships
• Poor leadership
• Poor work/home boundaries
• More stress-related illness
• More sickness absence and health insurance claims
• Accidents, errors

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Accidents

• Tiredness is thought to have contributed to some
  of the worlds worst industrial disasters of the
  20th century
• Herald of Free Enterprise
• Chernobyl
• Exxon Valdez
• Bhopal
• Three Mile Island

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Sleep Cycle Pattern
Depth of sleep
Slow wave sleep
Phase one
Three
Four
Two
Five
Dreaming
Time 90 - 110 min.
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How Much Sleep Do We Need?

• CORE SLEEP the first three sleep cycles
  necessary for humans to function properly
• OPTIONAL SLEEP the sleep that can be
  eliminated without dire consequences
• Stampi, 1995

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The REST Sleep Programme

• Reassure
• Educate Enlighten
• Safety to sleep
• Tools and techniques

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Sleep Toolkit Personal

• Wind down rituals
• Boundaries / time management
• Impact of exercise, diet
• Taking breaks during the day
• Alcohol, caffeine and stimulants
• Sleep elasticity
• Sleep mindset
• Power naps

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Sleep Toolkit Organisational

• Primary Risk assessment, policy
• Secondary Education and awareness, training
  energy, resilience, sleep, nutrition, exercise
• Tertiary Early referral and treatment

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Sleep Toolkit Managers

• Responsibility to create a culture that is
  conducive to employees being able to leave work
  behind them ... and sleep.

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The challengeto expand the working
memorynerina_at_equilibriumsolutions.com
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Discussion
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Resources

• Sleep Better to Live Better
• www.valueoptions.com/clients/sleepbetter/
• www.valueoptions.com/members/sleepbetter/
• Achieve Solutions
• www.achievesolutions.net/(companyhandle)