This February, I was able to see Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington speak at Penn State. During her talk, she stressed the importance of sleep when it comes to being a leader and building a successful career. In fact, she’s so devoted to sleep as a way to increase productivity that she’s even implemented employee nap rooms–NapQuest 1 and NapQuest 2–in the Huffington Post’s offices to encourage employees to take power naps.
And she isn’t the only one–napping in the workplace is a trend that’s gaining traction at a variety of different companies. A piece on Bloomberg Businessweek recently explored this trend. According to the article, employees at Nike now have access to “quiet rooms” for napping and meditation, and Google has a number of what Businessweek calls “futuristic napping pods” in its offices as well.
Americans average fewer than seven hours of sleep a night, and 20 percent suffer from sleeplessness during the day, according to a Stanford University study. A lack of adequate sleep can make one irritable, forgetful, overly emotional, and can inhibit productivity in the workplace. A study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found napping can increase alertness, memory, motor skills, decision-making, and mood, so it makes sense that employers would want to accomodate employees this way. Check out these other companies offering employee napping arrangements:
Jawa – This small mobile technology company based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has two resting rooms in its offices so programmers can nap while working long hours. ”If you have employees working 16-hour days, you want to give them an opportunity to take a power nap,” Melissa Gierginger, a spokeswoman for Jawa, told Businessweek.
Continental (CAL) and British Airways - These airlines allow pilots to sleep during international flights while colleagues navigate the plane, but the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits this for domestic flights.
Ben & Jerry’s – While the ice cream giant has no no official policy on napping, the company “provide[s] unofficial space for the practice and don’t bat an eye when someone spends an extra half hour snoozing in the massage room,” according to Businessweek.
You can read more about the workplace napping trend here.
Does your employer allow for office naps? If your boss allowed it, would you take advantage of the opportunity? Let us know your thoughts in a comment below.
