One in four Europeans fall asleep on the Job

The majority of Europeans who fall asleep at work do so at their desk, rather than in a meeting or in the bathroom

Long working hours, repetitive tasks, long meetings with no breaks, stuffy environments and computer screens are some of the factors that contribute to workers falling asleep at work. The consequences of a sleepy workforce are not only financially linked. Sleeping at work is also a sign of a non-motivated, non-challenged workforce or of over-worked staff. What is the situation like in Europe? Leading recruitment website Monster asked over 21,000 Europeans if they had ever fallen asleep at work.

The Monster Meter asked, Have you ever fallen asleep at work? 21,489 Europeans placed a vote, revealing:
39% (8,382) No, but sometimes it’s a big challenge to stay awake

37% (7,999) No, never
13% (2,751) Yes, at my desk
6% (1,285) Yes, during a meeting
5% (1,072) Yes, in the bathroom

The Irish and Brits are the sleepiest workers in Europe. Nearly 40% of Irish respondents said they had fallen asleep at work, mainly at their desks (24%), whilst around 35% of Brits admitted to falling at sleep at work, 20% of them at their desks and 9% during a meeting. Long hours and mid week socialising are popular in these countries and contribute to such effects.

For those Europeans, who said they had fallen asleep at work, the most common place for a quick snooze was their desks (13%). This is followed by meetings, 9% of Brits and 8% of Swedish respondents admitted to sleeping during meetings. However, it looks like the Irish (8%) and French (7%) prefer a quick siesta in the toilets.
On the other hand, nearly half of Dutch respondents said they had never fallen asleep at work and an additional 35% said they hadn’t fallen asleep, despite it being a big challenge sometimes. Similarly, 82% of Italians claimed to not have fallen asleep at work.

Sleepy workers are a pricey expense for businesses, since their productivity and the quality of their work is negatively affected comments Hernan Daguerre, director of communications, Monster Europe. Employers should encourage workers to take breaks throughout the day and ensure job descriptions match the expectations of candidates. Overqualified employees will get bored in their jobs much quicker than those who find their work more challenging.

Monster’s Top Tips for Avoiding Falling Asleep at Work:

- Get some fresh air. Have a couple of breaks throughout the working day. Go outside the building in order to get some fresh air - stuffy environments contribute to making people sleepy. If you are working in front of a computer screen it is advisable to have breaks to give your eyes some rest.

- Eat a high-protein power lunch. Food like steak or fish in the middle of the day produces stable glucose levels that combat afternoon tiredness.

- Caffeine break. If you are about to face a long meeting and you are feeling tired, offer to make some tea, coffee or run to the nearest vending point and get yourself a can of a caffeinated soft drink!

- Try to get as much sleep as possible. This seems an obvious one, but if you are going through a busy working period, try to get as much sleep as possible even if it means sacrificing a bit of your social life. Working hard and partying hard will take its toll eventually.

- Play some music. If you are doing tedious, repetitive work that doesn’t require much concentration - playing some music can prove stimulating.

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster.com visitors from 29th March to 13th April 2004. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace.