INTHEBLACK December 2021 - Magazine - Page 53
AT A
GLANCE
Australia has recorded some
of the longest working
hours among full-time
employees in OECD
countries over the past
two decades.
The direct and indirect
costs of sleep deprivation
in Australia are estimated
at A$51 billion a year.
The Federal Government
began to recognise the
problem in 2018, and
focus on the issue
is increasing amid the
challenges of remote
and flexible working.
T H E R I S KS O F S L E E P D E P R I VAT I O N T O H E A LT H A R E W I D E LY
K N O W N , A N D N O W I T S S O C I A L A N D E C O N O M I C C O S T S H AV E A L S O
C A U G H T T H E AT T E N T I O N O F O R G A N I S AT I O N S A N D G O V E R N M E N T S .
S
leep deprivation is costing the economy
A$14.4 billion in direct losses and
A$36.6 billion in non-financial costs,
such as the loss of wellbeing.
The Federal Government recognised
the scale of the problem in 2018, launching a fullscale inquiry on sleep health awareness.
However, despite the resources directed to the
business community and its leaders to educate them
about the benefits of a well-rested workforce, many
sectors – accounting and finance chief among them –
continue to wear sleep deprivation as a badge of honour.
SLEEP HEALTH AND THE WORKPLACE
Lack of sleep affects some of the key cognitive
functions we need to be productive and effective,
including critical thinking, memory and attention,
says Professor Shantha Rajaratnam, deputy
head of the School of Psychological Sciences at
Monash University and chair of the Sleep Health
Foundation.
“The result of that is that many aspects of our
work-related functions and performance are
impaired.
“We make poorer decisions, have reduced capacity
to solve novel, complex problems, to process
information and to regulate our emotional
responses to what’s happening around us.”
While Australia is widely regarded as a relaxed
and happy-go-lucky nation, research into our
changing work habits tells a different story.
Over the past two decades, the average number
of full-time hours worked has increased significantly,
resulting in Australia having some of the longest
working hours among full-time employees in
OECD countries.
Psychotherapist Dr Zoë Krupka, senior lecturer
at the Cairnmillar Institute in Melbourne, has
lived and worked all over the world and says that
Australian workplace attitudes towards sleep,
especially in industries such as accounting, banking,
finance and law, are unhealthy.
“What I’ve noticed is that Australians have similar
attitudes towards sleep as they do in North America
– it’s all this bravado around not sleeping,” she says,
“and we are seeing this distortion in capacity and
bravado around overwork specific to sleep.
“People are severely overestimating their
capacity when they’re tired,” Krupka says.
“People are often surprised by those tests they
do when they’re tired and driving – they’re not
aware of how distracted they actually are.”
intheblack.com December 2021 53