Drowsy Workers Drive Up Accidents and Absenteeism

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Welcome to the March 29, 2006 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts.

What's Inside:

1. Why Workers Drive Up Accidents and Absenteeism

2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #516 to #518

3. ASSESS 360 for Sales and Leadership

4. Quotes from Hire Authorities

5. Screen Employees Fast

6. Wolfe and Walker Earn Certification in Strategic Success Modeling

The Greater Valley Forge Human Resource Association
Organization Development Special Interest Group presents

Navigating the Talent Management Rough-Water:
Charting for the Labor Shortage Ahead

Keynote Speaker: Ira S Wolfe, Author - Perfect Labor Storm

What does all the current buzz about “Talent Management” mean in light of the impending labor shortages we face? This forum is your opportunity to get an insiders view of the latest statistical data as well as hear how several well known companies are “battening down their hatches” to prepare for the changing tides.

Listen to presentations and ask questions of:

Ira S. Wolfe, Author and Founder of Success Performance Solutions
Virginia Clarke, VP Organization & Talent Management, SAP America
Gail Townsend, Organizational Development Specialist and Tiny Dyer, Human Resources Generalist, W. L. Gore
Scott Cook, Sr. Director, Human Resources, Day and Zimmerman

To learn more or register for Navigating Talent Management Rough-Water.

1. Drowsy Workers Drive Up Accidents and Absenteeism

Think napping is for kids? Winston Churchill did it. So did Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Yet, caught in the cross-hairs of productivity and profits, employers who catch employees grabbing a few zzz?s on the job jump to the conclusions of laziness or goofing-off.

But employers may need to wake up and take notice: research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that catching a mid-day nap can increase alertness, improve physical dexterity, boost stamina, and lower stress. Other studies show naps can reduce crankiness and enhance brain performance.

The 24/7 world is changing the way people work ? and shortchanging the way people sleep. Round the clock operations, in manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare, often take precedence over the basic needs governing sleep and wakefulness.

An estimated 22 million Americans now work evening, swing, rotating, or on-call shifts. Traditional sleep patterns are changing. The result is something known as shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) - excessive sleepiness during work shift followed by insomnia during the hours the employee is trying to rest.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 50 percent of the population complains about excessive sleepiness. It?s no wonder with more people juggling one or more jobs, running kids here-there-and-everywhere, caring for aging parents, and volunteering for their favorite organization in ?spare? time that 34 percent respondents in the 2005 Sleep in America Study were ?at risk? for a sleep disorder. Regardless of the reason, one indisputable fact remains - there is no substitute for sleep.

SWSD eventually leads to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation has been linked to accidents, both at work and on the way home, as well as a myriad of health concerns, including obesity, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal diseases, stomach ulcers. Studies also show that shift workers suffer from short-term memory disturbances, decreased overall mental ability, headaches, decreased productivity and negative moods and behavior.

Sleepiness is more than a personal problem

If you?ve ever nodded off behind the wheel or dozed off in a meeting only to suddenly startle yourself upon awakening, you?ve likely experienced what is called ?microsleep.? These momentary and seemingly innocuous cat-naps, short bouts of unconsciousness are a sure sign of sleep deprivation. Falling asleep because the room is hot or meeting was boring could be a sign of sleep loss.

Many workers accustomed to feeling tired do not realize the hazard they present, even if they do not fall asleep while driving. If you do not have enough sleep you are not paying attention and you are not reacting with the speed and accuracy you should.

Microsleep while lasting only a few seconds can have deadly results. The truck driver who plowed into a car near Lake Butler, Florida, on January 25 killing seven children in a fiery crash had little sleep in the 34 hours before the wreck. It takes only 3 seconds for a vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour to cover almost 250 feet, which is ample room for an accident. The same goes for a machine operator, medical resident, or even a parent watching a young child.

Drowsy or Drunk: The costs are too high

Most employers would discharge an employee who showed up for work drunk, but wouldn?t even consider telling them to go home if they hadn?t gotten enough sleep.

But the similarities between feeling drowsy and drunk driving makes one sit up and take notice. One study on sleep deprivation documented that restricting sleep to 5 hours per night over a one week period results in a level of cognitive impairment equivalent to 2 nights of total sleep deprivation. Sleep loss impairs memory, vigilance, mental processing of complex information, and decision making skills.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation and its effect on work performance may be costing U.S. employers some $18 billion each year in lost productivity. Another study pushes this cost to over $100 billion.

Just consider the relationship between insomnia and absenteeism. One?half of America?s adults say they have experienced at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights per week. Results from a study released in the February 2006 issue of Sleep show that 50 percent of employees who suffer from insomnia have at least one time of absence from work over a two-year period, compared with only 34 percent of good sleepers. Insomniacs also miss an average of 5.8 days of work per year, while good sleepers miss only 2.4 days. In other words, insomniacs were more frequently absent from work, and their absences lasted longer.

In the real world, people drink coffee, take a walk around the block, or chat with co-workers trying to fight back nature?s call for sleep. But you can?t fool Mother Nature for long. Without sleep, accidents and mistakes and heart attacks happen more often.

2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts # 516 to 518

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm. Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

Fact #516: In continental Europe, guaranteed pensions of as much as 70% of average pre-retirement paychecks have been promised to more people than society can afford to pay. Even in countries with the least generous pensions-Britain (37%) and the U.S. (45%)-problems are predicted

Fact #517: Since the wages of younger workers pay the pensions for retired workers, it is also significant that between 2000 and 2050, the old-age dependency ratio (nonworking older person per workers) will double in more developed regions and triple in less developed regions.

Fact #518: Public pension and health benefits for the elderly are on track to double from roughly 12 to 24 percent of GDP in the typical developed country between now and 2040. To stabilize spending as a share of GDP, benefits would eventually have to be cut by 30 to 60 percent beneath current projections.

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - Only $7.95.

3. Assess 360
This web-facilitated multi-rater survey component of the ASSESS platform utilizes dimensions and behaviors populated directly from the organization's competency model. A participant can rate multiple people at a time and the system allows for comparative ratings. Reports provide detailed individual feedback on:

Competency Rankings

Behavior Ratings

Developmental Suggestions

Action Planning Guidance

View a Sample ASSESS 360 Degree Report.

4. Quotes from Hire Authorities

If we want people on the front line of companies to make good business decisions, they must have the same information that managers use.
Ken Blanchard

5. Screen Employees Fast

JobClues, a part of the CLUES Assessments family of products, was designed by Leonard Goodstein, Ph.D. and Richard Lanyon, Ph.D. It is perhaps the world's leading psychometric assessment for screening employees. Business managers have tested more than 100,000 employees with JobClues? to measure how well they fit a job description. JobClues requires just 15 minutes on-line.