Caffeine could help sleep-deprived workers resist unethical influence from higher-ups, according to research by business professors at the University of Washington, the University of Arizona and the University of North Carolina.
Lack of sleep can lead to unethical behavior in the workplace, they have found, but the equivalent of a large cup of coffee can help sleep-deprived employees bolster their ability to control their behavior and resist unethical temptations, according to their new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
“When you’re sleep deprived at work, it’s much easier to simply go along with unethical suggestions from your boss because resistance takes effort and you’re already worn down,” said David Welsh, an organizational behavior professor at the University of Washington. “However, we found that caffeine can give sleep-deprived individuals the extra energy needed to resist unethical behavior.”