Pay Stub Messages / Email Attachments

Include tips on sleep and time management, or notices of upcoming events on employee pay stubs. Use company-wide emails to promote healthy sleep habits, or a quick fact on sleep hygiene at the bottom of the email.

Lunch and Learn

Host a presentation to educate employees on sleep. You can bring in an expert in the sleep research field to talk about sleep disorders and to provide helpful tips to employees on time management.

Caffeine Awareness Day

Plan a day to increase employee awareness around caffeine. Here are some suggested activities:

• Plan a caffeine free break during the workday. Provide an assortment of non-caffeinated beverages, including teas, juices and water. Employees can also contribute to the offerings.
• Encourage employees to reduce their intake of caffeine by “one” on a specific day. For example, reduce two cups of coffee to one cup, or three caffeinated “colas” to two.
• Develop a “caffeine” trivia contest. Sample questions could include “What country can be thanked for inventing tea?” and “Which of the following does not contain caffeine; Coke®, Sprite®, or Dr. Pepper®.
• Ask employees to bring in single servings of decaffeinated products (e.g., teas, bottles of juices) to contribute to a “caffeine-free” beverage gift basket. The names of those contributing can be entered into a draw to win the gift basket.

“Wellness Wednesday” Lunch Workshop

Invite employees to take part in a mid-week lunch, where the discussion is limited to co-workers discussing ways in which they have become successful at getting the right amount of sleep. You could write the theme in big letters and post it in the room so that those participating stay on topic- What helps you sleep?

Parents can relate their own personal experiences on routines that have helped them get their children to establish good sleeping patterns. This could be very useful for new parents. At the end of the event participants can write on a ballot, who gave the best useful tip and whoever received the most votes could win a small door prize. The use of a door prize or refreshment may help to increase participation.

Desk Stretching to Relax

Sitting in one place for long periods of time (e.g., computer station) may cause stress and tension in the upper neck and lower back. Encourage employees to take the time to stretch by distributing copies of the resource “Get Active at Work”. Try posting this graphically pleasing poster to act as a friendly reminder of the benefits of stretching: Desk Stretching.

Sleep Diary

Make a sleep diary available to employees to review their sleeping patterns and sleeping hygiene. This diary could be a useful tool for someone with bad habits to review with their family physician. There could be an incentive for those that participate like a fun prize such as a gift certificate to a local department store to buy a new pillow.

Sleep Specific Workplace Audit

Take time to review how your workplace supports keeping workers ‘alert’. Work as a committee to make a list of mutually agreed upon factors that could impact employees. Here is a list of factors that have been compiled by the Canadian Centre of Health and Safety, which might be the start of your list:
‘Fatigue’ is increased by:

• dim lighting
• limited visual acuity (i.e., due to weather)
• high temperatures
• high noise
• high comfort
• tasks which must be sustained for long periods of time, and
• work tasks which are long, repetitive, paced, difficult, boring, and monotonous

If you or your employees are looking for more information on specific topics such as extended work days and shift work, please direct them to the Centres OSH Answers document section.

Guest Speaker Presentation

Use the resources offered at the Canadian Sleep Society (CSS) to find a speaker that may come talk to your group as a subject expert. See this link for additional information on where to reach someone directly: CSS Specialists.

Another option is to contact a local Sleep Laboratory and have a medical professional attend. In addition, please check and see what your local health unit has available. Often they offer information sessions to help parents tend to their children that might have troubles getting to sleep or staying asleep at night.