Japanese workers' poor performance at work is closely linked to their lack of sleep

The findings indicated that inadequate sleep constituted the primary determinant impacting the work performance of both males and females. Inadequate exercise and eating late-evening meals followed suit. In addition, men were found to be more likely than women to demonstrate lifestyle habits that negatively impacted work performance, according to the study.

Due to a decline in the birthrate and an increase in the elderly population, the working-age population in Japan is diminishing, which has caused a significant social concern regarding the decline in productivity.

As a consequence, organizations are placing emphasis on "health and productivity management" endeavors in order to preserve the well-being of their workforce and improve their occupational output.

To date, there has been no identification of specific lifestyle habits that contribute to the subpar work performance of Japanese employees, let alone the ways in which these habits vary between men and women.

A multiple regression analysis was performed on a sample of 12,526 corporate employees (aged 21-69) to investigate the correlation between work performance and eleven lifestyle habits (including smoking, exercise, diet, alcohol consumption, and sleep). The analysis was further segmented by gender.

Inadequate sleep was most strongly associated with poor work performance for both sexes, according to the findings.

Furthermore, it has been observed that certain lifestyle choices, including sluggish walking speed, current smoking, and breakfast skipping, are correlated with diminished work performance among males. Conversely, among females, habits such as rapid eating speed exert an influential effect.

Health education and workplace interventions that emphasize improved sleep, exercise, and dinner timing are crucial, according to the study.

Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of support measures tailored to gender.

The funding was provided by Tokio Marine dR Co, Ltd.

Journal Reference: Momoko Tsuchida, Takafumi Monma, Sakiko Ozawa, Ayako Kikuchi, Fumi Takeda. Relationships between lifestyle habits and presenteeism among Japanese employees. Journal of Public Health, 2023; DOI: 10.1007/s10389-023-02136-4