Enhancing Employee Well-Being and Retention through Positive Sleep Perception

In the pursuit of maintaining a productive and satisfied workforce, employers must consider various factors that impact their employees' well-being. Recent research from the University of Warwick in England suggests that the way employees perceive the quality of their sleep plays a critical role in their overall well-being and, by extension, their job satisfaction and retention.

What’s the study about?

This study focused on 109 university students aged 18 to 22, but its implications extend to the broader workforce. The researchers took a unique approach, emphasising employees' subjective assessments of their sleep quality over objective data collected from sleep-tracking devices. Participants wore wrist-worn devices that estimated sleep efficiency by monitoring movements during the period between falling asleep and waking up. Simultaneously, they provided daily feedback on their previous night's sleep and their current well-being using smartphones.

Employees were asked to answer five questions daily regarding their sleep habits: bedtime, time they fell asleep, wake-up time, time they got out of bed, and their satisfaction level with their sleep. Notably, the data collected from sleep-tracking devices, which objectively measured sleep efficiency, did not align with the employees' reported well-being.

What were the results of the study?

The results consistently highlighted a strong correlation between self-reported sleep satisfaction and well-being. Employees who reported better sleep quality tended to experience improved mood and greater life satisfaction the following day. This suggests that employees who perceive their sleep as good are more likely to be content and engaged at work, which can have positive implications for an organisation's employee retention efforts.

Anita Lenneis, a psychologist, and the lead author of the study underscored the importance of employees' perceptions of their sleep quality. She stated, "It is people's evaluations of their sleep quality and not the actigraphy-derived [device-derived] sleep efficiency that's important to their well-being." Lenneis further suggested that fostering a positive mindset about one's sleep can potentially enhance overall well-being, translating into higher job satisfaction and, consequently, greater employee retention.

Big Picture & Limitations - What Does This Mean for Business and More Pertinently for Recruitment, Employer Branding, and Culture?

However, it's essential to acknowledge the study's limitations. The research focused on a relatively homogenous group of university students, making it challenging to generalise the results to a more diverse adult workforce. Additionally, wrist-worn devices primarily measure sleep based on movements, rather than precise sleep data. The 24-hour window provided for employees to recall their previous night's sleep could have influenced their memory and, consequently, the study's outcomes.

Neomi Shah, the program director of sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, highlighted a key takeaway for employers. According to Shah, it's crucial for employers to pay attention to how employees feel about their sleep rather than relying solely on technology-driven sleep-tracking devices. Moreover, this study implies that the use of such wearables and technology might not always have a positive impact on employees' well-being, underlining the importance of perception and subjective assessment in addressing employee retention.

In today's competitive job market, where employee retention is a top priority, this study serves as a valuable reminder. Employers should consider not only the objective data but also their employees' feelings and perceptions regarding sleep quality. By fostering a workplace culture that acknowledges and supports positive sleep perceptions, employers can contribute to a more satisfied and engaged workforce, ultimately enhancing employee retention rates and the overall success of their organisations.