10 Reasons To Let Your Employees Take Naps At Work

Shane Dobbing http://www.sleepypeople.com 4m 983 #napping

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Why Your Employees Should Be Napping

It certainly seems as if the millennial generation are making big changes to the traditional office work environment.

Because of technological advancements, we are now able to work just as efficiently at home, on a train or in a coffee shop as we would in the office.

Having workplace flexibility seems to be increasingly important to employees, with a recent millennial branding report showing that 45% of millennials find work flexibility more important than their salary.

However, replacing the traditional 9 to 5 routine does throw up some new challenges, one of the biggest being our sleeping patterns.

One possible answer to this is to encourage napping among our colleagues and employees. However, in many parts of the world, napping is more commonly associated with laziness, something you don’t exactly want to be accused of while at work.

There are certain parts of the world that actively encourage napping to boost their workforces. Take Japan for example, where inemuri is practised.

Inemuri translates as “being present while sleeping” and is a vital part of Japanese work culture. Japan embraces napping and it is not uncommon to see people napping at their desks or on public transport, something which would be frowned upon in many parts of the world.

You can read more on the fascinating work culture in Japan in this great article on from The Guardian.

There are some businesses that are trying to promote napping in countries where it is less accepted. For example, Google and Ben & Jerry’s actively support their staff to nap at work. You can read about these two and plenty more in this post on Inc.

So, if some of the most successful companies in the world are adopting napping as part of the working day, perhaps more of us should be?

That’s certainly what bedding retailers Sleepy People think. They’ve created an infographic titled ’10 Reasons To Let Your Employees Take Naps At Work’. Take a look below.

TEN REASONS TO LET YOUR EMPLOYEES TAKE NAPS AT WORK

In most companies, sleeping on the job is a sure fire way to land yourself the sack. But recently, an increasing number of workplaces have actually begun to encourage mid-day naps to allow employees to recharge their batteries.

Here are ten reasons why it might pay to let your employees take naps during the working day:

1. WE GENERALLY DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP

The fact that the majority of workers are probably sleep deprived for one reason or another.

This is always going to have a negative impact upon their work performance and productivity, so it’s important to acknowledge this and give employees some time to catch up in the middle of the day.

2. HELP TO WIPE OUT ‘SLEEP DEBT’

While it’s recommended that we all get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, this just isn’t always achievable, especially for those who have a young family.

For those who find themselves accumulating a ‘sleep debt’, getting 20 or 30 minutes shut-eye can leave them feeling much more energized and focused.

3. IT MAKES YOUR COMPANY MORE ATTRACTIVE

Many companies nowadays offer various perks and benefits to their employees, whether it be as simple as a coffee machine or things such as game rooms.

Allowing employees to nap will position your company as being progressive and laid-back, and make people want to work for you, instead of your competitors.

4. NAPPING BOOSTS CREATIVITY

According to Vincent Walsh, a professor of human brain research at University College London, most of our creative thoughts come during periods of relaxation, when the brain is making new connections.

Trying to force creativity very rarely works, and it has to come naturally. Let your employees nap and you’ll find the ideas start flowing!

5. IT AIDS MEMORY & LEARNING

Studies have shown that those asked to carry out a task performed 20% better after a nap, despite having no more practice.

This is due to the fact that the part of the brain which is used for motor skills lights up the same while asleep as it does when awake, suggesting that the brain replays the day’s activities while asleep.

6. EASY IMPLEMENTATION

As long as you have a dedicated area where employees can take a nap, a napping programme needn’t be that difficult to bring in to your business.

Just make sure you’re sensible and keep naps to specified times and you won’t be losing any productivity; quite the opposite in fact!

7. IT CUTS DOWN ON ‘SECRET’ NAPPING

According to a survey, about 70% of those who take a nap at work do so in secret.

People nodding off at their desks doesn’t create a great image for the company, so why not make sure that naps are encouraged and that they’re taking place during break times, and not while people are meant to be working!

8. LOTS OF WORKING TIME GETS WASTED ANYWAY

During the average work day, employees spend their time doing various non-work related things such as making a cup of coffee, having a smoke break, or just watching cat videos on YouTube.

When you consider how much of your employees’ time is being wasted anyway, surely it would be better spent doing something which will actually leave them feeling re-energized.

9. SOME OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST COMPANIES ALLOW IT

Google have often been considered a leader in company habits and they’ve even gone as far to install high-tech ‘nap-pods’ at their Googleplex headquarters.

If it’s good enough for the biggest companies in the world, then surely it’s something worth considering?

10. YOU BENEFIT TOO!

It’s not all about your employees! As an employer, you’re probably working pretty hard yourself, so it’s only right that you get a little time to recharge to yourself as well as an increased level of productivity in the workplace!

Brought to you by SleepyPeople.com

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