The Effects of Rest Problems on Workforce Fatigue and Productivity

Abstract

This study examines the impact of rest problems on workforce fatigue and productivity. The participants of the study include 4188 employees working at four Malaysian corporations. First, they were surveyed about rest time patterns and then, they completed the Work Limitations Questionnaire. Next, the respondents were classified into four groups: insomnia (Level-1), insufficient rest (Level-2), at-risk (Level-3), and good rest (Level-4). The costs related to productivity were estimated through the Work Limitations Questionnaire. Performance, productivity, safety, and treatment measures were compared using the one-way analysis of variance model. The findings showed that level-1 and level-2 groups caused higher negative effects than level-3 and level-4 groups, on productivity, performance, and safety. The level-1 group had the highest rate of rest medication use. The other groups were more likely to use no medication treatments. Fatigue-related productivity losses were estimated to cost $1967/workforce annually. However, rest problems contribute to decreasing workforce productivity leading to a high cost to companies.