Skip to main content

DC professionals losing sleep over work, and office drama may be to blame

WASHINGTON — More than a third of D.C.-area office professionals say work-related issues regularly cause them to lose sleep, and work anxiety takes many forms.

A survey by staffing firm Robert Half said the No. 1 reason keeping professionals from getting a good night’s sleep is being overwhelmed with work volume and hours — cited by 50 percent of those in the survey.

Not being able to get a business problem out of their heads ranked second.

The third most cited reason for losing sleep over work surprised the experts conducting the survey.

“Believe it or not, one of the top things that we noticed was drama with co-workers. Work-related relationships can really put a strain on things,” Robert Half’s D.C. metro marketing manager Melissa Sliwinski told WTOP.

For supervisors responsible for their department employees, personnel issues are also worries worthy of losing sleep over.

“Managing your people is a big strain for a lot of people,” Sliwinski said.

Professionals ages 18 to 34 more often lose sleep over work compared to older workers. And men said they lie awake often, while women were slightly less likely to say so.

For employees losing sleep over work-related stress, it is a sign that something needs to be addressed, such as meeting with managers to discuss delegating work to others, adjusting deadlines or even bringing in temporary help.

Sliwinski said shaking up your routine while you’re at the office can help, too.

“Often times you see people eating their lunch at their desk. We recommend getting up, going outside, maybe taking a quick walk,” she said.

Robert Half interviewed more than 2,800 office workers for its study on work stress and sleeplessness.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Read Next Story