So you notice someone looks sleep deprived in the workplace (or maybe even you are feeling like you've not had enough shut eye). How does this impact us and our outputs?
It's pretty safe to say that we'd all guess that attention span would be the first thing to suffer. Bing tired makes it difficult to concentrate, this lowers performance and it many jobs that can be dangerous. So it's a topic that, as people managers, we should be mindful of.
The reason for this post is to share a recent study by researchers in Washington State University in which it was indentified that not only is attention span hit when we sleep less but also our ability to adapt is significantly reduced.
One to be aware of then? If we can't adapt, how does this affect our ability to make decisions? Is this significant when rolling out and managing change at work?
The article then takes an interesting twist into the subject as a specfic gene is identified which, when present in an individual, reduces the impact of sleep deprivation on adaptability.
All food for thought that I figured would be good to share. Hopefully this one more slice of knowledge you can draw upon when it comes to dealing with employee well being.
In the summary to the article, the nail is hit firmly on the head: "Further insights could potentially yield new ways to deal with sleep deprivation, or help to identify those who might be best for jobs that require workers to go without sleep."
Click here to go to the article on the Discover Magazine website
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