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Fatigue is Costing Business Billions In Health-Related Lost Productivity
| Guest post by: Dr. Paul Lanthois |
Article Overview: An Australian study has highlighted how fatigue has a large impact on our quality of life. Now a US study is showing how fatigue is costing billions by affecting the quality of your work...
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Free Download - Less Working Hours Do Not Improve Aussie Work Life Balance By Dr. Paul Lanthois |
Fatigue is Costing Business Billions In Health-Related Lost Productivity
During lunchtime conversation with her work colleagues Melanie appeared distracted and distant. She tried to feign her interest with the occasional nod of her head. Her head was clouded with fog when she realized that the conversation around her had stopped.
"So what do you think, Mel?"
Summoning all her powers of concentration, Mel suddenly jolted with fright at the realization of her three friends looking at her intently.
"Are you alright?" they asked.
"I'm sorry guys. I'm just exhausted. I had a terrible nights sleep and it's been a struggle to keep my eyes open all day.
It's an all too familiar scenario in the workplaces and homes today. With the increasing trend in Western life to cram more and more into each day, we are craving for more energy and more balance in our lives whilst, at the same time, also maintaining our productivity. However the major epidemic is that the majority of us simply do not have the time or the energy to do the things that we really want to do.
Today's time-strapped lifestyle has turned most of our lives into a day-to-day struggle for survival before we crawl into bed exhausted at the end of the day. Fatigue is not only creating strains at home but the workplace is definitely feeling the pinch.
According to a recent study by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), fatigue is costing the workplace in the United States $136 billion dollars in health-related lost productivity. 39 % of the 29 000 US workers interviewed said that they had experienced "low levels of energy, poor sleep or a feeling of fatigue".
The biggest cause of productivity losses from fatigue was not from having days absent but $114 billion dollars were lost in productivity due to reduced performance while at work. This mainly came from poor concentration requiring more time to complete normal tasks.
Along with the common cold and body aches and pains, a lack of energy is one of the most common health complaints in Western society, yet it is a condition that very few of us seek professional help about it because a lack of energy, by itself, is not fatal. What we fail to understand is that the lifestyle factors that cause the vast majority of cases of fatigue, if continued, can go on and contribute to the development of the most common life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Fatigue is one of the health signs that you should all take immediate notice of. It is the first indicator that your body is starting to struggle to work properly. Recurrent fatigue occurs when your body is spending more and more energy on trying to repair the damage you inflict on yourself so less energy is available for you to use.
Unfortunately, when we do try to address our lack of energy by ourselves, we tend not to address the direct causes of the fatigue such as managing emotional stress, trying to fit too much in, lack of exercise, lack of rest and various other aspects of the modern, on-the-go lifestyle. Instead we opt for the over-consumption and abuse and reliance of certain foods and drinks that give us a short-term energy boost. Fast food outlets and supermarket aisles are literally bursting with processed, sugar-laden fast foods that are high in fat which at best should be consumed as an occasional treat. The soaring obesity and diabetes epidemic in the Western world highlights the sheer magnitude of the abuse and dependence that we have placed on these fatty and sugary fast foods... and now we can see the real cost of it as a society.
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About the Author: Dr. Paul Lanthois RSS for Dr. Paul's articles - Visit Dr. Paul's website Click here to visit Dr. Paul's website   The Key to Health and Happiness Lies Far From The Workplace Why You Shouldnt Ever Apply Heat To Your Aches And Pains Successfully Kicking Unhealthy Habits Why You Are Kidding Yourself If You Think Smoking Helps You To Relax In The Workplace Pressure Points That Can Help You Manage Stress and Boost Your Energy |
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My entry
- 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read
- this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody.
2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto.
3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book
Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: What do think you about these statisitcs?
- I think those stats are very concerning.
Billions of dollars in wasted man hours. You can bet corporate America and frankly international corps are all working on solving this problem.
Wasted productivity is no different than wasted/stolen product at the retail level. A few percentage points one direction or another can mean the difference between profit and loss for many companies.
If I were the CEO of a large corp, I'd have a team at work blocking Facebook and other social sites from all company computers, as well as unauthorized email accounts etc.
Cheers,
Zac
Exclusive: Interview with Results
- Hi Forum Members,
I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles).
As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business.
This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business.
I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months.
At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews.
I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum.
If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM.
Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: What do think you about these statisitcs?
- Most large corporations that I worked at did have site blocking enabled. I thought it was a standard.
[quote="Zacman":1i1rzvg9]I think those stats are very concerning.
Billions of dollars in wasted man hours. You can bet corporate America and frankly international corps are all working on solving this problem.
Wasted productivity is no different than wasted/stolen product at the retail level. A few percentage points one direction or another can mean the difference between profit and loss for many companies.
If I were the CEO of a large corp, I'd have a team at work blocking Facebook and other social sites from all company computers, as well as unauthorized email accounts etc.
Cheers,
Zac[/quote:1i1rzvg9]
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