Doncaster charity is teaming up with businesses across the country to conquer sleep issues

The Sleep Charity is based in Tickhill and combat sleeping issues in both adults and children.

A new workplace scheme will see the charity teaming up with giants such as Waitrose, Premier Inn and John Lewis to improve the sleeping habits of their staff.

Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity, said: “Our new Workplace Sleep Ambassadors Programme addresses a very tangible and evidenced issue that is affecting workplaces and organisations throughout the UK.

“The programme provides everything an organisation needs to reduce workplace issues related to a lack of sleep, empowering staff members to conquer their sleep issues, become more productive members of the team and boost their own health and wellbeing.”

Bad sleep can often lead to mental health issues and problems in the workplace.

This new programme aims to address the concerns following the revelation that 200,000 working days are lost every year due to insufficient sleep - which costs the UK economy millions and causes major disruption for employers battling back to normality following 18 months of Covid-19 chaos.

The training will be delivered as a mixture of pre-recorded study and live sessions, and helps ambassadors develop their understanding of the leading causes of sleep issues, the facts and fiction surrounding a good night’s sleep and practical support strategies.

A recent Sleep Charity study, conducted in partnership with Furniture Village, found that 28 per cent of Brits have called in sick at least once due to having a bad night’s sleep during the last three months, while nearly two thirds (64 per cent) say they have felt overwhelmed at work due to a lack of sleep.

A further 41 per cent say they have left their camera off for a work Zoom call due to not sleeping well, 67 per cent admit they’re more likely to snap at colleagues, while 59 per cent say their attention span has been negatively affected.

In total, 40 per cent of UK employers are estimated to suffer issues with sleep.

The new Workplace Sleep Ambassadors programme has been created to help bring those numbers down, and ensure companies are providing adequate support to employees battling sleep related issues.

Waitrose, Premier Inn, John Lewis and Holland & Barratt are among the companies to have already enrolled in the programme.

Amy Rowlands, sales trainer from Holland and Barratt, said: “The Sleep Ambassador training was so empowering.

“As well as being able to fully understand the importance of sleep, I now have the confidence and the tools to be able to support my colleagues with their own journeys around sleep.”

Sally Hulse, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion coordinator at RSK, said: “Great training sessions and resources.

“The interactive webinar opened my eyes to the large variety of contributing factors to sleep problems, and gave an insight into how I can educate and offer support to colleagues in the workplace.

“We have already started to implement the resources and start the conversation regarding the importance of sleep.”

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