Take a nap at work? Try that one and you might find yourself with plenty of time on your hands to take a nap at home!
But believe it or not, some very progressive companies have embraced the nap as an accepted workplace practice. They have taken a look at the research and understand that allowing for a quick 20-minute power nap enhances workplace performance. Here are some startling statistics. The Washington-based National Sleep Foundation found last year that 64 percent of all Americans get less that eight hours of sleep per day, while another 32 percent get less than six hours. The survey also discovered that: Sixty-one percent say their decision-making suffers after a bad night’s sleep. Thirty-seven percent say daytime drowsiness prevents them from doing their best work. One of five workers outside the 9-to-5 world — 5 million folks — regularly fall asleep at work.
Nap proponents insist that lack of sleep also played a role in such well-known incidents as Three Mile Island and the Exxon Valdez. A sleepy worker is a sloppy worker, they argue. “Insomnia and sleep deprivation is costing American companies $18 billion a year in lost productivity,” says Darrel Drobnich of the Sleep Institute. “I have a slogan: ‘Be productive. Take a nap.’ At Nike, employees have access to “relaxation rooms.” The Kansas City architectural firm Gould Evans Goodman Associates features “spent tents,” while a Chicago public relations company has a “nap nook.” While your company might not be there yet, they may in the future. Who knows? But at least now you understand the benefits of the power nap!
Molly Luffy, MBA, owner of Work Ethic Wizard, dedicated to helping managers regain their sanity and employees survive and thrive in todays corporation. Author of Super-Charge Your Promotion Quotient: 225 Success Strategies for the New Professional. http://www.workethicwizard.com/default.cfm
