Businesses are losing thousands of pounds because employees are tired and lack focus.

In a recent survey of British office workers, retailer Boots found that employees waste an average of 151 minutes at work, every day, due to tiredness.

Most workers aren’t fully awake until 9.45am, according to Boots.

They go on to work through the morning, taking a half hour lunch break before hitting the afternoon slump.

On average workers are wound down for more than an hour.

This downtime costs firms nearly £2,500 per person a year.

Workers also admit to drinking alcohol two nights a week on average, with 88% admitting to being hungover at least once during the working week.

More than half of workers fail to function without regular caffeine hits.

Boots pharmacist Angela Chalmers said: “Britain is in the grips of an energy crisis.

“Our modern day lifestyle often means we can find it tough to stay alert during the 9am to 5pm routine and we have become a nation of ‘slumpers’ as a result, but thankfully all it takes are a few simple diet and lifestyle changes to get you back on track.”

Workers are advised to avoid alcohol during the week, cut down on caffeine consumption and eat healthily to avoid energy slumps.