Sleeping at work

[Petr Gogolin]

We are recommending our employees to take a powernap at work when they feel tired and need a brake. Our challenge is that most people are still reluctant to do so even when it's allowed , supported and they have access to a quiet room with couch they can use. I wonder if any of you encourages the same and what are your results?

 

[STDFR33]

Warm milk.

Whale music.

15 pints of Guiness.

A team building exercise - sleeping logs.

Ps do you need an accountant? I am working on 4 hours sleep today, and would love a power nap.

 

[SteveHa]

Ps do you need an accountant? I am working on 4 hours sleep today, and would love a power nap.

4 hours already? I haven't slept since 5:30 this morning. I'm so jealous.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Business Hammocks?

 

[Mr D]

This power nap will be on their own time? Ie if a 7 hour day and taking 2 hours out they would end up spending 9 hours at work but 2 of them resting?

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

This power nap will be on their own time? Ie if a 7 hour day and taking 2 hours out they would end up spending 9 hours at work but 2 of them resting?

Power naps are traditionally considered no longer than 20 minutes

 

[Gecko001]

There is a serious HR question here and that is why are your employees becoming tired at work? For example if they have second jobs at night meaning that they are tired during the day and cannot do their job safely then you have a duty as an employer to get the employee either to stop the evening job or stop working for you. There have been cases when employers have been found liable for accidents when they have failed to take action.

Tiredness in adults can be a symptom of depression or some physical illnesses, so perhaps they should be encouraged to deal with the cause rather than just getting the symptom dealt with.

Are your breaks at the reasonable times? Are the employees working hours just too long? All things perhaps you should look at rather than encouraging them to take naps,

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Tiredness in adults can be a symptom of depression or some physical illnesses, so perhaps they should be encouraged to deal with the cause rather than just getting the symptom dealt with.

I wonder if there has ever been a case of tiredness which wasn't related to physical or mental illness???

 

[Mr D]

Power naps are traditionally considered no longer than 20 minutes

Mine are generally 5 hours.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Mine are generally 5 hours.

Haha, I think you may be confusing Power Napping and sleeping

 

[Mr D]

I wonder if there has ever been a case of tiredness which wasn't related to physical or mental illness???

Does working very long days count?
We could ask full time students who work full time. We could ask some carers who look after sick relatives.
We could ask those doing everything in their own business who are trying to cope with a lot of work, say a couple of weeks prior to Christmas.

 

[Mr D]

Haha, I think you may be confusing Power Napping and sleeping

No that's the difference between 5 and 12 hours.

 

[Gecko001]

I wonder if there has ever been a case of tiredness which wasn't related to physical or mental illness???

Is being tired after being awake 24 hours without a break a mental or physical illness? Is being tired after running a marathon a mental or physical illness?

 

[STDFR33]

I'm tired reading this thread. Someone section me.

 

[Newchodge]

I'm tired reading this thread. Someone section me.

Do you mean psychiactrically or surgically?

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Does working very long days count?
We could ask full time students who work full time. We could ask some carers who look after sick relatives.
We could ask those doing everything in their own business who are trying to cope with a lot of work, say a couple of weeks prior to Christmas.

Is being tired after being awake 24 hours without a break a mental or physical illness? Is being tired after running a marathon a mental or physical illness?

You kind of are highlighting my point, haha

 

[STDFR33]

Do you mean psychiactrically or surgically?

I've not decided yet.

I think it depends on how tired you are. I probably need to be assessed by a medical professional before making a hasty decision.

 

[Mr D]

I've not decided yet.

I think it depends on how tired you are. I probably need to be assessed by a medical professional before making a hasty decision.

Just do not tell them you are tired.

 

[mhall]

To get back to the point, are they not taking these naps because no-one else does?

I am speaking from a position of ignorance as we don't have them- some of the staff would take massive advantage if we let them - starting with those who try and take extended toilet breaks and "fag" breaks.
What was the reason you introduced the naps in the first place? - was it because you want to be a "trendy" boss or do you think they work too hard and the breaks will genuinely increase their creativity?
Does it affect their pay or time spent in the office?- "I'd rather miss the nap and go home early thank you very much"
Did you involve them in the decision process? Is there any way you can get a couple of volunteers to experiment and prove they do/don't work ?

 

[DontAsk]

Power naps are traditionally considered no longer than 20 minutes

You need one complete REM cycle to be really effective.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

You need one complete REM cycle to be really effective.

20 minutes is fine for alertness.

I suppose it depends on the skills required

 

[AllUpHere]

Whether or not the idea is a load of old nonsense very much depends on the business. If you offer 24 hour security in particularly dodgy locations around the world, are a firefighter, or are on a week long reconnaissance mission as a sniper, feel free to take a sleep break.

If, however, you are a web developer or other office dweller, your employer is probably just trying too hard to be 'funky' or 'forward thinking'. You can double check by seeing if they also have a silly beard.

 

[HostOX]

Personally I see it as a great idea, especially in an afternoon when you get to that stage where you really need a quick nap!

It could really do well for productivity.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Would an alternative method would be to take care of your employees lunches, and ensure they are eating slow release energy foods rather than quick fixes?

 

[AllUpHere]

I hope some of you lot never have to do a proper day's work if developing / designing / web hosting wears you out.

 

[Vigilion]

We are recommending our employees to take a powernap at work when they feel tired and need a brake. Our challenge is that most people are still reluctant to do so even when it's allowed , supported and they have access to a quiet room with couch they can use. I wonder if any of you encourages the same and what are your results?

Perhaps reframe this as taking a Meditation break - sleeping could have a connotation of being lazy.

 

[BTON Agency]

I like the idea, would not work in my industry but can see working in others.

As the saying goes "You can lead a horse to water......"

I think if they see you or other senior members of staff doing this they are more likely to use it. Lead by example.

Maybe give them a 20 min isolation break every day, where they can just unwind in peace and not necessarily sleep.

Its a lovely gesture as an employer, and i am sure even if not taken up it will promote staff morale and help with staff retention.

 

[Petr Gogolin]

This power nap will be on their own time? Ie if a 7 hour day and taking 2 hours out they would end up spending 9 hours at work but 2 of them resting?

Hi Mr D, all our staff gets 20minutes of paid time to sleep during the day, they don't have to work overtime. If you think about the productivity, risk of mistakes, etc of a person who is drowsy for two hours compared to a fresh worker after a nap, it's a no brainer to include those 20 minutes in their pay.

 

[Petr Gogolin]

There is a serious HR question here and that is why are your employees becoming tired at work?

Tiredness in adults can be a symptom of depression or some physical illnesses, so perhaps they should be encouraged to deal with the cause rather than just getting the symptom dealt with.

Good point. Our staff is your typical male under 30 years collective of programmers and coders. They work standard 8 hours per day which is in itself draining if you're doing a demanding mental work.

Research is very clear why there is a drop of activity post noon. Every primate has it, it's in our circadian rhytm. People just got used to fighting it and decided it's something wrong to be sleepy at that time. It isn't.

 

[Petr Gogolin]

To get back to the point, are they not taking these naps because no-one else does?

I am speaking from a position of ignorance as we don't have them- some of the staff would take massive advantage if we let them - starting with those who try and take extended toilet breaks and "fag" breaks.
What was the reason you introduced the naps in the first place? - was it because you want to be a "trendy" boss or do you think they work too hard and the breaks will genuinely increase their creativity?
Does it affect their pay or time spent in the office?- "I'd rather miss the nap and go home early thank you very much"
Did you involve them in the decision process? Is there any way you can get a couple of volunteers to experiment and prove they do/don't work ?

Thanks for the great questions.

I'm frequently found on a sofa taking a nap after a lunch, leading by example Our workers have many perks, none is abusing them.

Decision to pay for their powernap isn't about being trendy. It's a basic biological need that helps the wokers and of course also a company.

 

[Petr Gogolin]

You need one complete REM cycle to be really effective.

Powernap and full REM cycle are two different things related to productivity.

Powernap helps you with physical tiredness, increases mental alertness and has a positive effect on preventing civilization diseases.

Full REM cycle has great added benefit of a memory consolidation, meaning during the REM your brain processes and stores any new information and data you've put it. Utility of a long 60-90 minutes nap is then in learning something new. Of course it has also all the benefits of a powernap, but due to it's lenght it's not optimal for a workplace.

 

[Petr Gogolin]

I hope some of you lot never have to do a proper day's work if developing / designing / web hosting wears you out.

Sure, many jobs have their specifics that allow or prevent certain measures to be applied.

Your comment about trying to be funky for respecting circadian rhytms and what we know about optimal performance made me laugh

Am I also too forward thinking and funky for allowing my emplyoees to go to a bathroom if they need to and not only once in four hours as it used to be in good ol' days?

I can race ultramarathons in 8 hours which you could easily compare to a "proper day's work" and be more mentally fresh after them than I'm mentally tired after 8 hours of meetings, negotiations and developing. I don't see your point.

 

[Ally Maxwell]

I've perfected the art of having a kip in Client company's toilets. At one please, I even had an inflatable neck pillow hidden in the back of the cistern.

 

[SnapchatJosh]

I think this is a good idea - Would you consider the nap as part of their allocated break?

 

[nathanmessi]

having a power nap does boost your work ability. you can find it easy and relaxing

 

[RickiRick]

Wow! What a great idea! Sometimes, I need 20 minutes nap so much...And I would work more productive after this. Because I spend more than 20 minutes to push myself to be awake(preparing a coffee, going back and forth, the efforts to concentrate etc). A few times I even went to the car for 20-30 minutes nap, and it works perfectly for me.

 

[Ashley_Price]

They work standard 8 hours per day which is in itself draining if you're doing a demanding mental work.

all our staff gets 20minutes of paid time to sleep during the day

How long are their standard breaks?

Before I went self-employed, I worked in a factory, where we did quite physical (but not particularly mental) work. Our hours were 6am-2pm with a 30 minute break, so yes we were tired by the end of the day.

For me, a standard nap time wouldn't work because it would take longer than 20 minutes for my brain to calm down enough for me to get to sleep. Even at night I can be laying awake for over half an hour.

So, I think you should respect those that don't want to go and sleep - but instead, why not let them stop, get away from their desk, have a cup of tea, or something. A rest can be just as good as sleep.

 

[DontAsk]

The founder of Patagonia lets his employees go surfing if the surf is up, etc. Employees are passionate about the company and its products (or they are nit hired) and trusted to get the job done one way or another.

Perhaps the OP is a bed or sofa manufacturer

Wouldn't work on an assembly line, if someone was pressing the line stop button every few minutes to take a nap, but in other environments I can see it working.

 

[Ian J]

Why is it that when the young are tired they need a power nap but when the old are tired they need a snooze?

 

[Ian J]

I wonder if there has ever been a case of tiredness which wasn't related to physical or mental illness???

I'm often tired after the second bottle of wine