Organizational and work correlates of sleep

Abstract

Sleep has been associated with various work and health outcomes. Despite this, only a narrow range of its correlates have been studied in the IO/OB literature. Meanwhile, approximately one-third of adults in the United States have been found to be sleep-deprived, underscoring the importance of investigating potential correlates from multiple perspectives, one of which is the work context. To begin to address this issue, the current series of studies investigated a greater range of characteristics of the work context associated with sleep than has previously been studied, as well as develop a construct that pertains to the attitudes toward, and practices regarding, sleep. In Study 1, the construct of sleep climate was introduced to represent characteristics of the workplace regarding communication about sleep as well as practices, expectations, and attitudes that directly target sleep (e.g., education about proper sleep). In a sample of online participants, sleep climate along with other selected work context variables (e.g., climate, job characteristics) were found to correlate with sleep behavior. In Study 2, the malleability of sleep climate was investigated. Among a sample of medical school students, it was found that a workshop designed to teach the negative consequences of poor sleep as well as sleep tips positively altered sleep climate perceptions of participants. Furthermore, this change was accompanied by positive changes in sleep quality and quantity. In Study 3, agreement of sleep climate perceptions within workplaces was investigated. Among medical residents, membership in residency programs and learning sites was a significant source of variance in sleep climate perception. Agreement indices also suggested that the level of agreement on sleep climate perception of individuals at a given workplace is comparable to level of agreement on other work context variables such as general climate and job characteristics. In addition, relationships between these work context variables and sleep that were found in Study 1 were largely replicated. Implications of these findings are discussed, along with practical recommendations.