A new report from Falck shows a strong link between how employees experience their work environment and how they sleep. Three out of ten employees sleep so poorly that it poses health risks. Here are expert tips on how you can work to promote health, improve the work environment and support your employees in sleeping better.
Sleep is our greatest source of recovery. There is no need to stress over occasional nights or periods of poor sleep, but in the long run, getting enough sleep is important. Sleep is crucial for health and also for having the energy to do things we enjoy and find meaningfulness, as well as being able to perform well at work.
What we see in the survey is a clear correlation between sleep and how people estimate their organizational and social work environment. 73% of those who have rated their organizational and social work environment as good have also rated their sleep as good. While the same figure for those who rated their organizational and social work environment as poor is just over 50%.
– We spend a large part of our waking hours at work. How we perceive our work environment therefore affects several aspects of life. Work can provide a lot of energy, but it also requires lot of energy. Here we clearly see a connection between a good perceived work environment and better sleep, says Åsa Miemois, Health Developer at Falck.
Work can provide a lot of energy, but it can also drain a lot of energy. Here we clearly see a correlation between a good perceived work environment and better sleep
As a manager, you can create conditions for a good organizational and social work environment by asking yourself the following questions:
Do we have clear processes, routines, and methods to follow?
Are our job descriptions clear in terms of expectations and goals?
Is the information sufficient to perform the work as expected?
Are adequate resources provided to meet the demands?
Is the workload reasonably balanced between expected quantity, quality, and deadlines?
Is there opportunity for recovery in the form of breaks and reflection?
Do the tasks involve a sufficient degree of variation?
Does the work entail a sufficient level of social contact, collaboration, and sense of cohesion?
Is there room for influence, participation, and professional responsibility?
Is there opportunity for learning and development?
Sleep and stress
Another work-related factor that affects our sleep is stress. Of those who reported a high level of stress, only 33% indicated that they sleep well. For those who rated their stress as low, 80% reported sleeping well. Therefore, stress-related health issues and the work environment seem to significantly impact the quality and experience of sleep.
– According to the Occupational Health Economic Analysis Group (AFA and KI), workplace-related mental health issues, as well as stress in general, have a major impact on employees' productivity. This has been shown in numerous studies. The extent of performance impairment varies, but those experiencing high work-related stress have at least a nine percent reduction compared to others. Approximately five to six percent of repeated short-term absenteeism is also related to organizational and workplace-related health issues, says Åsa Miemois.
Efforts to strengthen operations
Review the meeting structure. Plan for breaks, reflection, focus time and set-up time.
Create room for recovery for employees and teams.
Systematically support individuals in early signs of ill health.
Create forums for dialogue about mental illness and how we are affected by our work environment. Discuss work stress with a health-promoting focus.
Have a holistic view of life balance. The well-being and well-being of the individual promotes the organisation's performance and production capacity and the job satisfaction of the whole group.
Work for psychological safety and good relationships. We are each other's work environment.
More about the report
In a major health and work environment survey based on over 25,000 employees across the country, Falck has delved into how people sleep and how it affects working life. The report shows that three out of ten have problems with sleep. Those who have an unsatisfactory organisational and social work environment sleep worse than those who have a good work environment. Likewise, those who feel stressed show poorer sleep. Women generally sleep worse than men – this is even if the aspect of children at home is removed.
At the same time, we know that sleep is needed for the body and brain to be able to recover and process impressions. When you sleep at night, you can more easily cope with stress and strain during the day. During sleep, the body relaxes, blood pressure drops, heart rate and body temperature go down, breaths become fewer and muscles relax. Activity in the brain decreases at the same time as memories are stored, new knowledge and new impressions are processed. Sleep can also reduce the risk of disease.
The statistics in the report are based on 25,774 health and work environment profiles carried out between September 2022 and September 2023 across the country. The respondents work in all types of companies and organizations. Falck's health and work environment profiles map lifestyle habits, musculoskeletal disorders, well-being and the social and organisational work environment. It is a type of health examination that gives employees the opportunity to take part in how lifestyle habits, physical ailments, fitness and work environment affect well-being. The health and work environment profile provides a broad health perspective with a focus on what can improve the health of the employee and the organization.
