Despite popular belief that productivity is in the amount of hours we
work, Huffington Post founder Arriana Huffington argues that while we’re
bragging about how little sleep we got the night before, we have actually
decreased our productivity by not getting the full 8 hours.
In The Harvard Business
Review, Huffington discusses the direct impact sleep deprivation has on facial
cues, employee safety, health and well-being, and most interestingly, can
stimulate unethical behaviour in the workplace, an effect we see all too often
in workplace mediation cases. This behaviour in turn can lead to a number of
workplace conflict issues and a decrease in productivity.
While Huffington suggests the eventual implementation of ‘nap rooms,’
rooms especially assigned for a midday snooze, in the meantime large and small
businesses can work on the health and wellbeing of employees by encouraging
yoga, meditation, and stressing the importance of sleep.
We could all take a leaf out of our US counterpart’s books and make a
stand for a healthier generation of workers and productivity, and according to
Huffington “change the workplace culture so that what's stigmatized is not
napping but walking around drained and exhausted.”
If you have encountered what you believe to be unethical behaviour in
the workplace or believe your workplace is unfairly promoting an unhealthy
lifestyle, contact Brisbane Mediations for a fast and inexpensive solution.
By Katie Prowd
(07) 3839 7400
resolve@brisbanemediations.com.au
