A
survey of more than 2,000 employees shows that 7 in 10 admit to falling asleep
on the job, while 78 per cent of employees admit to taking time off work to
nurse a hangover.
Peter
Done, managing director of Peninsula, the employment law firm that carried out
the survey, said employers have a legal obligation to ensure workers’ safety.
“If an employee is overtired, then the employer has a legal responsibility to
ensure they do not operate machinery or any other equipment," he said.
“An
employee falling asleep at their desk is a lot less harmful than employees
falling asleep in front of the wheel of a car, or indeed when operating
machinery. Employees may also feel tired if they are overworked or
stressed," he said.
He
added that employers need to ensure they have looked at whether tiredness is
work-related.
“Many
of the employees we spoke to said that [being] bored at work was a
substantiated reason for feeling tired and falling asleep on the job,"
Done said. "Many employees complained of a lack of variety in their job
role, with many stipulating that the job was monotonous."
To
try and combat this, he recommended employers keep their employees
task-orientated and occupied.
"Try
to set a range of tasks and targets for the employees to aim for, and ensure
they take adequate breaks and lunch periods," he said.
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