Call us cynics, but perhaps insomnia would be taken more seriously if more articles like the one published at Canadian Business Online were released. Their article covers the cost to businesses of sleeplessness – and the figures are quite startling.
Some key findings:
- Sleep deprived employees are twice as likely to struggle with time management, decision making and motivation
- Drop in performance of sleep deprived employees costs businesses an average of US$1,967 per employee per year
- Sleeplessness costs businesses an average of US$3,556 per employee per year for those with frequent insomnia
- Quebec put the annual cost of insomnia in the province at $6.6 billion
Could the corporate world be an unlikely hero in the battle to raise insomnia awareness? If they continue to lose money, surely they’ll put pressure on governments to act. Then again, how much is the corporate world to blame for insomnia in the first place – with the pressure to work ever harder and ever longer?
Seems like a classic case of the double-edged sword to us.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve heard this concept before, but these numbers are the “worst” (highest) I’ve seen. Wow. Having been one of “those” workers, I can def. say it makes sense. It does seem to be a double-edged sword with many pushing their workers harder, but one can only hope & wonder if some company (or several) will step forward…it’d be the perfect “good” cause for a company looking to make its charitable works unique.
A good cause, yes – but there would be a lot of benefit for companies themselves if insomnia was better understood! I think we’re very much on the same page here, Matt!