Latest research shows that employees yearn for their bosses to give them time to sleep during the working day.

Portfolio Payroll, the city based recruitment firm and Peninsula employment law practice has released figures which show that employees would like to be given an hour of sleep each day.

A huge 88% of respondents admitted to feeling tired while at work and 64% said they would welcome an hour of sleep while on the job to improve productivity.

Danny Done managing director of Portfolio Payroll commented:

“Tiredness can prove to be a thorn to both employee and employer. Many researchers have realised the potential with siestas and seen how employees working in Spain where the tradition of the siesta originated have a higher energy level and do not seem to suffer from the tiredness levels which have plagued the UK workforce for so long.”

The figures from the poll adds Done suggest that tiredness is affecting as many as nine in ten workers.

“There should be great concern for employers who have employees operating heavy machinery or operating in a workplace where 100% concentration is critical. It is these firms which need to try and incorporate new techniques in combating the problem. If the problem is ignored this could find a business involved in many accidents and the consequences of which could be very serious and land the employer into trouble.”

Done warns that stress can also trigger tiredness and recommends that employers regularly monitor employees to ensure they are not overworked.

The survey polled 1367 employees across a range of industries.