It’s so easy for entrepreneurs to forget the importance of catching their Zs; constantly chasing deadlines and funding could leave them with very little sleep. But while founders may be willing to sacrifice some slumber to get their startup off the launchpad, depriving employees of sleep could cause their performance to drop. In fact, new research suggests that 77% of Brits feel that a bad night’s sleep negatively impacts their working day.
Having surveyed 1,300 workers, CV-Library, the job board, found that 27% feel exhausted on a daily basis. And this may not be that surprising given just 26.1% of workers get between seven or eight hours of sleep, while 56.8% of workers only get between five and seven hours of sleep every night. And work was the biggest reason given for not snoozing enough, with 74.5% citing workplace stress as a key cause of their disrupted sleep.
And there are some good reasons for business leaders to take this seriously. When asked about the impact missing their 40 winks has, 72.7% of respondents said sleep deprivation affects their ability to stay focused, 46.5% think their ability to deal with challenging situations is impaired and a third said they find it harder to make important decisions.
Commenting on the research, Jim Horne, professor at the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, said: “Most work situations require individuals to make critical decisions, remain focused and complete tasks in a timely and efficient manner. However, it’s clear from these findings that sleep loss can impair attention to detail amongst workers. The longer a person is awake, the more likely their mood is to be negatively affected, as well as their willingness to take risks in the workplace. Again, this could be cause for concern.”
So the next time you need to deliver a huge project, remember that one of the most productive things you can do is to let your workers get some shut-eye. 
