Are your employees taking enough naps?
August 19, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views, Retention
Looking for a way to get more done with fewer employees? Nap time might help.
Though it’s usually thought of as an activity for preschoolers, 34% of adults take naps on any typical day, according to a new survey by Pew Researcher. It could even be considered a path to success — 33% of folks who earn more than $100,000 a year admit to napping regularly.
More employees should give it a try, according to John Baldoni of the Harvard Business Review — and, he says, more employers should let them. Baldoni says quick “power naps” of 15-30 minutes can make employees more energized, creative and productive.
Of course that’s often tough to do in an office setting — especially around managers who won’t react favorably to the site of an employee sleeping.
Would it fly at your company? Do you already have accommodations set up for quick afternoon naps? Let us know in the comments section below.
Tags: napping, productivity, sleep
August 21st, 2009 at 9:39 am
I agree for those that can. My uncle took 15 minute power naps everyday and was refreshed for it. Some people end up more groggy for it. Myself, I would prefer to take two hours out of the office to reset. I say this as I find myself tired after the day, but full of energy once I get home LOL
I have taken long lunches with family and came back energized. (almost like I am behind in the day and must rush to catch up)
I truly believe I would be a more active employee with an afternoon siesta.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:41 am
I agree. Lack of sleep is a national problem, taking a nap can only help!
I have been lucky that as an HR person I ususally have an office and I have taken a short 10-15 min nap and it make a huge difference.
Our compay does not have anything set up for this, but it sure would be nice.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:46 am
My wife who is a manager for another company, and I meet on our lunch hour, and take about a 30-45 min. nap in our very comfortable vehicel, a Mercedes CLK, this refreshes both of us, and prepares us for the afternoon trials and tribulations.
At first, we were laughed at, but now I see my secretary and others within our two companies doing the same thing, It really helps. At least it works for us.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I am a morning person and naturally wake up about 4 am every day, even on the weekends. As a technical designer, manufacturing planner, and manager, I’ve taken a “power nap” of ~ 15 min during my lunch break for almost 40 years. I swear by it. Without it, my concentration tends to “crash” about 2 or 3 pm. I also totally agree with getting off-site for lunch. My boss recently asked why I leave the office for lunch. I told him it’s a personal discipline I use to “unplug” for an hour, relax, and allow my mind to truly rest so that I am prepared to handle the afternoon with the same intensity and focus I handle the morning. Since he’s consistently seen positive results in my work and the way I handle customers and office issues, he acknowledged it was something he should be doing himself.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I am an HR manager for a company that has what we call “Queit Rooms”. Shades drawn for dim lighting and comfortable chairs. We have a good number of employees that use the room regularly for napping during their lunch. Our employees appreciate the availability of the space and feel recharged by the opportunity to nap.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Long ago, I worked for a manager (one of the best I’ve ever had) who fully believed in taking a nap after lunch. We had a fairly nice break room and after she ate, she would stretch out for 20 to 30 minutes almost every day. She was a highly creative, intelligent, successful person who quickly moved up into the highest levels of the company (Prudential). Obviously, this wasn’t totally attributable to her nap breaks, but I do believe they refreshed her and allowed her to face the rest of the day with more focus and creativity, which allowed her to be more successful.
Personally, I arrive at work at 6 a.m. and do not take a lunch break. Stupid, I know…I find myself hitting a wall about 2:00 in the afternoon. If I could take a nap when I run out of steam, I know it would allow me to get something done later in the afternoon. However, since I can’t unplug, I find myself to be almost totally ineffective after that point and I accomplish very little. I’m better off going home. I would probably need 30 minutes…I don’t think 15 would be enough for me. But 30 minutes would be a small investment if it actually allowed me to re-engage in my work and be more productive.
In response to your question, it wouldn’t fly at my company or at any I’ve worked at recently. I think research on the topic that provides hard data concerning the financial impact to a company is about the only thing that will cause executives to consider allowing this practice in the work environment. There is a long standing stigma associated with sleeping on the job…people get fired for it all the time. I’m an HR manager with 25 years of experience and what I’ve seen in my career is that the only way I have ever been able to sell a “controversial” idea such as this is to prove it would actually up productivity and therefore boost the bottom line. Money talks and, unfortunately, sometimes that’s the only thing a CEO and board listen to.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:11 am
UNSCHEDULED NAP
I was given a medication once by a doctor that made me very lethargic. During a long training session in low lighting, I kept nodding off so I went to the ladies’ room on the break to lay down for a couple minutes. Waking up 1/2 hour later, I told my co-worker I was MIA because that the medication had knocked me out. She reported me to HR for sleeping on the job! I got a reprimand and an immediate change of medication! I will never forget Elaine H. for that!
August 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I have taken a nap only once or twice but probably should do it more. Years ago I learned it was much more effective for me to get completely out of the office at lunch versus hanging around in the lunchroom and never “disconnecting.” When I get in my car at lunchtime, I often notice people napping in their cars and several employees have mentioned it to me in conversation. We don’t have the room here to set it up as a “benefit” but napping seems to be much easier now that everyone has a built-in alarm feature in their cell phone. It’s interesting to me that it tends to be the Gen X/Gen Y more than the Boomers.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Our office staff is allowed 1 hour for lunch. I am fortunate enough to live only 15 minutes from work. I almost always go home for lunch and take a 20-30 minute nap. It truely helps get me through the afternoons. There is a definite difference in my attitude on the days I can’t go home to relax for a break. Those days seem longer and a lot more difficult. I usually watch the clock a lot closer when I don’t have my siesta. I can’t wait to get home so the day just drags on ….
The only drawback to going home alone is I don’t go to lunch and socialize with my fellow employees. That’s good in some respects and not so good in others.
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
At my last job, I had my own office with a door. I would eat my lunch during the first 20-30 minutes then go back to my office, close the door and take a nap till the end of my lunch hour. This truly kept me focused for the rest of the day. Where I am now, I share an office and typically stay at my desk working while I eat my lunch and every day between 2-3pm, I crash hard. Some days, it’s nearly impossible to complete a task because I am so lethargic. If there was a place I could go and catch a quick nap during the day, I know my productivity in the afternoon would increase.
October 24th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
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