Busy professionals experience many pressures that impede their ability to obtain optimal amounts of sleep. Working according to shift patterns, working across different time zones simultaneously, and international travel are all common causes of sleep loss. In addition, the use of artificial lighting and hand-held technologies at night, ever-increasing pressure to perform, and perhaps more importantly given the increase in presenteeism, the pressure to be seen to perform, and the lengthening of the working day (REF), all make the challenge of getting optimal sleep more difficult for employees.

Traditionally, organizations that seek to enhance their effectiveness have focused on developing their leadership capabilities, strategically managing the talent within their organization, increasing employee engagement and motivation, and streamlining operations. However, given the reported impact of poor sleep found in the latest research from Hult International Business School, organizations that are willing to engage with and address the issue of poor sleep within an organizational context, may not just improve the health and well-being of employees, but may be at a competitive advantage.

In previous research by Ashridge Executive Education, it was identified that there has been very little investigation too into the impact of poor sleep on those who perform corporate roles. There is now a significant and ever-growing body of empirical knowledge highlighting the myriad of ways that poor sleep can impact individuals including cognitive, social, and health effects, yet the majority of these studies use clinical or specialist populations (such as doctors or pilots) or are lab-based, devoid of an organizational context. The lack of research within the corporate environment is surprising, given the potential effects of poor quality and quantity of sleep on all aspects of organizational life. It is this paucity of research that led to the current study, seeking to understand how sleep loss manifests itself in the lives of working professionals, and whether these effects are related to generational differences and/or levels in the organization.

The current study asked working individuals a series of questions aimed at establishing their self-reported quantity and quality of sleep along with how sleep loss impacts three aspects of their working lives; work performance (29 questions), physical health (21 questions),, and their social and emotional life (18 questions). To do this the survey combined the use of an established sleep measure, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) with three newly developed subscales designed to measure the impact of poor sleep on organizational behavior.

A total of 1060 individuals completed the survey, with participants coming from the UK (88%), Continental Europe (7%), the Middle East (2%), the Americas (1%), Asia (1%) and Africa (1%). 20% of the sample were Generation Y (aged 20-34), 46% were Generation X (35-49) and the final 34% were classified as Baby Boomers (50 years+). Nearly one-quarter of the respondents classified themselves as professional specialists (24%), with directors and middle managers each comprising 18% of the sample population. Senior management and those with no managerial responsibility each represented 14% of the group, 5% were first-line managers or supervisors and 4% were chief executives or chairs of their organization.

Key Findings

Not Enough Sleep

Across the whole group of participants, the average length of recorded sleep was 6 hours 28 minutes, with it taking 24 minutes on average to fall asleep. Given that the American Academy of Sleep Science recently published an article stating that between seven to nine hours of sleep per night is recommended for a healthy adult, all of the respondents in this study are recording sub-optimal levels of sleep duration, perhaps surprising given that most of the emphasis around stress and long working hours has been focused on the more senior leadership populations within organizations. Whilst the whole sample was reporting less than 6.5 hours of sleep a night on average, the quantity of sleep did vary across both the age of respondents and seniority in the organization.

Sleep Quantity and Quality by Generation

The top five reported cognitive behaviors by sleep loss all rely heavily on sustained attention, known to be particularly susceptible to only a small reduction in sleep quality and quantity.

Sleep Quantity and Quality by Seniority

Work Performance

All age groups and levels of seniority reported that sleep loss impacted their ability to perform their job, with the five most frequently cited across the whole group listed below.

Top Five Reported Behaviours (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

The top five reported behaviors affected by sleep loss all rely heavily on sustained attention, which is known to be particularly susceptible to only a small reduction in sleep quality and quantity. Lack of attention, and taking longer to complete tasks suggests that productivity is at risk and may be heavily affected by sleep loss. Even ignoring the potential under-reporting of poor sleep effects, sleep loss affects the cognitive work-based performance of a large percentage of the survey respondents, and the pattern is surprisingly consistent across both seniority in the organization and age. However, there is a difference, particularly across the age of the participant, about the frequency of experiencing the effects. 83% of Gen Y respondents reported losing focus easily compared to 77% of Gen X reporting their most frequent effect, and 67% of Baby Boomers.

In addition, Gen Y was the only age group that had a more ‘person-centered cognitive effect in their top three, ‘finding it hard to work with particularly challenging colleagues’. This may be related to the fact that they have less experience, thus fewer coping strategies in place for dealing with colleagues, or may reflect an interpersonal sensitivity to sleep loss that iage-relateded.

Top Three Reported Behaviours by Generation (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Top Three Reported Behaviours by Seniority (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Sleep Quantity and Quality by Seniority

Physical Health

Overall, the reported impact of sleep loss on physical health was significantly less than that of work performance, perhaps unexpected given that there is a growing body of research demonstrating a very strong relationship between chronic sleep loss and a variety of health conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type II diabetes. However, the current findings do not mean that the relationship between poor sleep and physical health is not a compelling one, it may be that participants are not aware of the connection between their physical health and sleep patterns, and may well put down their health complaints to other aspects of their lives such as age, weight or level of physical fitness.

Top Five Reported Behaviours (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

The reported effects of feeling lethargic all of the time and having a slower reaction time should be of particular concern to those whose role depends on physical reactions such as drivers and surgeons, however, feeling lethargic will impact the performance of all individuals in the workplace, and not just within the domain of health and safety.

Top Three Reported Behaviour by Generation (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Young professionals reported the greatest impact of sleep deficiency on their physical health, with 76% of the sample of Generation Y participants reporting that poor sleep made them feel lethargic all of the time compared to only 54% of Baby Boomers. The symptoms and magnitude were similar, however, across different levels of seniority in the organization, suggesting that it may be age rather than seniority that is responsible for the differences between Gen Y and Baby Boomers.

Top Three Reported Behaviours by Seniority (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Social and Emotional Life

As well as the more ‘cognitive’ aspects of performance, working within organizations depends heavily on one’s ability to work with others. Thus, the social and emotional impact of poor sleep has real consequences, not only for individual well-being but for the way individuals perform within and across teams, as well as managing effectively both up and down the organization.

Across all respondents, an overwhelming number found the interpersonal aspects of their role particularly challenging when suffering from sleep loss. In addition, poor motivation and potential mental health issues such as feeling more stressed were also frequently reported. Feeling more irritable, having less energy to socialize, feeling more stressed, and having poor levels of motivation combine to illustrate a compelling picture of why collaborative working may be particularly at risk with poor sleep.

Top Five Reported Behaviours (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

As with the other categories, the type of effect was remarkably consistent across both generations and seniority, but the magnitude of the effect varied, with 93% of Gen Y participants reporting they had less energy during the day compared with 78% of Baby Boomers. Interestingly, senior leaders seemed to suffer the least from having less energy during the day (81%) when compared with first-line managers and those with no management responsibility (87% and 88% respectively). Whilst the current study doesn’t examine why there are these differences, it may be that more senior individuals have more job control and autonomy and thus can manage their day at work more effectively when sleep-deprived, they may have more engaging and varied jobs, they may have better developed coping strategies, or they may have reached the level of seniority they have because the impact of poor sleep is not as evident.

Top Three Reported Behaviours by Generation (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Top Three Reported Behaviours by Seniority (‘Like Me’ or ‘Very Like Me’)

Conclusion

It is common for managers and colleagues to look at a lack of focus or motivation, irritability, and bad decision-making as the result of poor training, organizational politics, cs, or the work environment. Perhaps, however, the explanation, or certainly a contributing factor, could be poor sleep. Sleep deprivation appears to be an increasing characteristic of today’s working environment for professionals across organizations. The key facilitators of change are not just those in HR, but all individuals, with a particular emphasis on managers. The most important actions that can be taken are to raise awareness, communicate the potential effects of poor sleep, and bring discussions around clients into the open. Policies and practices also need to be changed to integrate sleep into the organizational resilience and well-being agenda.

The data gathered from this latest study highlights the many ways that sleep loss affects work performance, physical health, and the social and emotional life of business people. Although the research has presented the professional, physical social, and emotional effects separately, they are inextricably linked, with consequences that may interact, potentially intensifying the effects of each. The current research also highlights that organizations need to focus, not just on the senior leaders, but also on more junior and younger colleagues who are as likely (if not more so) to be suffering from poor sleep and the behavioral consequences of this in the workplace. The effects are not isolated to those in the most senior positions, or to those older generations; the negative consequences of poor sleep are visible and need to be addressed, across all levels and all ages in the organization.

Recommendations

There are a number of key recommendations for individuals, line managers, and professionals arising from this study as well as the existing literature on the effects of poor sleep.

It is common to look at a lack of focus or motivation, irritability, y and bad decision-making as the result of poor training, organizational politics, or the work environment. Perhaps the explanation could be poor sleep.

For Individuals

• How does sleep loss affect you physically, socially,y, and professionally? Increase your awareness of how sleep loss affects you.
• Ask your team/colleagues for 360-degree feedback on your performance when tired and encourage a review of the whole team.
• What steps can you take to (a) help you improve your sleep and (b) help you cope more effectively with sleep loss? Share your actions with colleagues.
• Act as a role model to others in your awareness and actions taken concerning sleep loss.• Think about your sleep needs when arranging travel.
• Be mindful of some of the causes of poor sleep such as the use of electronic devices late at night, sleeping in a room that is too light or too hot, caffeine, and eating or drinking heavily in the evening.
• Take exercise (although not just before bed), and consider practicing mindfulness or meditation.
• Periodically review the effect of sleep loss for you, as the impact you experience may change over time and circumstances. In addition, be aware that accurate insight into your behavior may diminish as you become more sleep-deprived.

For HR Professionals, Managers and Leaders

• Put sleep on the agenda, talk about it at all levels within the organization, and share the array of ways that sleep loss can affect people.
• Develop a sleep-related travel policy for your employees, including provision for sleep and recovery days for national or international travel.
• Act as a role model in terms of sleep management, organizational culture change starts at the top.
• Highlight the positive actions of other role models within the organization. Find and share examples of how successful employees at all levels have addressed the issue of poor sleep.
• Create flexible ways of working that allow individuals to operate when at their peak.
• Treat each individual as unique, as each employee will respond to sleep loss differently, and may or may not seek assistance. Do not assume that age, seniority gender factors ucouchesgender impact all people in the same way.
• Keep checking with individuals throughout their time with the organization, as the impact of sleep loss they experience may change over time.