Russian working class suffers from the lack of sleep

It’s a feature of capitalism, not a bug

Almost half of Russians participating in workforce are suffering from the lack of sleep. Evidence for this can be found in latest research of NAFI consulting agency. Experts of the agency also came out with estimation of employer’s losses from this trend.

If we look at the numbers, 47% of respondents complaining about lack of sleep during working days. Third of them stated another reason for this problem, such as second job or being forced to go through additional training programs on a first full-time job. Such disturbing trend is nothing new for Russia at least for the last several years. Natural outcome of lack of sleep is decrease of efficiency of performance on 25-30%, which means that employers are losing about 2,5-3 trln roubles per year.

We, communists, must take a closer look at this trend. Three quarters of respondents suffering from lack of sleep due to health problems, working overtime, or additional training programs imposed on them. But what forces people to take a second job? It only means that their wages are not allowing them to make ends meet. If health problems is such a widespread issue among the most active elements of society, it only means that current healthcare system doesn’t function properly, and the latest trends of privatisation of healthcare definetly not helping. Do employers really create favorable conditions for employees in getting better education without terrible consequences for their carreers? The answer is rather obvious.

While NAFI experts are counting employers’s financial losses from inneficient labour caused by overexploitation, created by their own greedy hands, who will estimate, how much costs lives of people found dead at their workplace? Russia holds first place in this infamous marathon. According to official data, 1618 people died while performing last year. In how many cases lack of sleep caused such fatal outcome? Sleep deprivation slows reaction, causes dizziness, jeopardizes perception of reality and other negative consequences.

While employer is only risking his share of profits, worker’s puts his health at stake, or even life. Root of this problem is exploitative attitude of employers to worker, who sees them only as tools for getting profit, and their goal is to squeeze as much unpaid labor from their subordinates as possible. Nothing personal, just business.