Yesterday I wrote about the power of sleep in providing an effective buffer against the stresses we face at work.  Alas, despite the benefits of good sleep, it’s not something that many of us get.  Data suggests that 70% of Americans fail to get sufficient sleep, with up to 70 million having some form of sleep disorder.

The scale of this on an organizational level is highlighted by a new calculator developed by researchers at Brigham University.  Analysis of the data behind the tool suggests that an organization employing 1,000 or more people can lose at least $1.4 million per year through sleep related issues.

The free tool allows employers to enter in data specific to their organization, including workforce size, industry and location to predict the prevalence of sleep deficiency and common sleep disorders among employees.

The tool trawls sleep science literature and government data to estimate the the prevalence of sleep deficiency in that workplace, together with the financial costs this imposes.  It also provides some tips on how things could improve with a sleep health education program, and estimates the savings such a program could provide.

“We estimate that the costs of fatigue in an average-sized Fortune 500 company consisting of approximately 52,000 employees, is about $80 million annually,” the researchers say.

The team believe that the more effective promotion of healthy sleep is something that benefits employers and employees alike.  Not only does it make workers more productive, but it also significantly enhances their quality of life.

This issue is especially problematic in dangerous professions such as transportation and construction.  For instance, the data suggests that an average 1,000 worker construction company is likely to have over 250 employees suffering from sleep disorders, which significantly increases the likelihood of accidents on the job.

“This research reinforces that sleepless nights hurt everyone,” the researchers say. “Many of us have been conditioned to just power through our fatigue, but worker health and safety on the job are compromised when we don’t get the sleep we need. The calculator demonstrates that doing nothing to address fatigue costs employers a lot more than they think.”