How To Manage Fatigue
Fatigue can be easily obtained in the stressful realities of work. Therefore in order to ensure productivity at the workplace, a company must always have a fatigue management policy that should be implemented by the human resources division. A fatigue management policy is basically a company policy that will serve to educate and train employees on fatigue awareness.
Fatigue management policy is especially important for companies with employees that work long irregular hours that may cause inadequate sleep. Fatigue management makes employees understand the risks of working fatigued without adequate sleep. Fatigue can severely affect the employees’ moods, communication, speed, accuracy and wakefulness. It is important since fatigued employees are liabilities to the company as they are stressed easily, lack concentration and focus to do tasks properly, and they potentially increase the risks of workplace accidents due to reduced alertness. The aim of fatigue management for employees is to increase their productivity, improve their morale, and decrease their absenteeism. This will help in achieving the full potential of your business leading to increased profits, reduced accident risks, and increased performance.
Fatigue management policy should be carefully and specifically designed depending on the employees’ line of work as there can be varying requirements for each type of job. The fatigue management policy should primarily teach the employees the causes and consequences of fatigue. It is important to educate them of how one can acquire fatigue and it must be able to provide an explanation on how fatigue can affect them not only in the workplace but also in their individual lives and their community. The second point that fatigue management policy should teach its employees are strategies on how to manage fatigue effectively. Of course fatigue can be inevitable at times so the employees should possess the knowledge on how to prevent such situations or handle it when it’s already there. Finally, the risk management policy should also utilize risk assessment tools in the workplace regularly in order to measure and monitor the risks associated with fatigue in the workplace.
The company and the employee have a shared responsibility to avoid fatigue using a well thought out fatigue management framework as it will be beneficial for both parties.
