COMPANIES AWAKE TO THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP

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By Rhymer Rigby  
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
  
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Most
of us finding a colleague asleep at work would probably make a quip about laziness. Yet some companies take a very different stance on workplace napping.

At its Geneva offices, Procter & Gamble, the consumer products group, has three EnergyPods, which resemble loungers with a space-age half-dome wrapped over the headrest, made by a company called Metronaps.

“The pods are designed to provide users with a quick recharge that can help maximise the rejuvenating effects of a brief nap,” Metronaps says. “This, in turn, helps users do more with their day from both a professional and personal point of view.” The pods have proved very popular, especially with sleep-deprived employees such as those with young children and frequent business travellers.

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The solution, he believes, lies with employees challenging the culture and insisting a nap is equivalent to a coffee break. Most nappers, he says, do not need high-tech sleep solutions: “They just need permission. Just say ‘If you want to nap during your breaks you can and it won't damage your reputation or your job'.”

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However, he cautions that their adoption by a clutch of companies does not signal the demise of the macho, long-hours culture. Indeed, he says, the Spanish and Latin-American tradition of the siesta could be on its way out: “There's a danger that this will be lost as they embrace a more Anglo-American 24/7 work model.” Nonetheless, the nap is fighting its corner: in the UK, June 25 was the third national siesta awareness day.

Prof Anthony says that, while pods and designated rooms can be useful aids to napping, they are really not necessary: it is more about culture.

“If someone wants a nap, they'll either do it publicly or secretly,” he says. “Nappers are resourceful. You find people putting their heads on sweaters on their desks, going out in the parking lot to nap in their cars or even sleeping on the toilet. ”What is needed, he says, is a napping policy. “Most employers do not allow sleeping – there is still that prejudice. It is thought of as lazy and unproductive, when often it is exactly the opposite.”

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Cisco Systems' new North Carolina offices boast a pair of pods too. “We're interested in employee wellbeing,” explains Kirsten Weeks, community relations manager. The technology company has a variety of ways for people to recharge their batteries, she explains. “One of these is napping. Employees power-nap [for about 15 to 20 minutes] and come out refreshed...you can set the pod to vibrate to wake you up.”

Other businesses that have installed EnergyPods include PwC and Google.

Companies are encouraging 40 winks, explains Metronaps co-founder Christopher Lindholst, because it “improves alertness, mood and makes you more productive and reduces stress”. Health, he says, has three pillars – exercise, nutrition and sleep – and, while companies have traditionally taken an interest in the first two, they are only just waking up to the last.

“Sleep pods provide a feeling of security,” Mr Lindholst says. “People feel that the outside won't bother them. You have a visor that blocks out light and music plays in the unit.” He adds that 15-20 minutes is ideal as it refreshes you but does not send you into the deep rapid-eye-movement sleep that leaves you feeling groggy afterwards.

Metronaps are not the only pods in town. Lee McCormack is the UK designer of a new pod called the Oculas OV2 that completely encloses the user. “A lot of businesses, especially in the US, have shown interest in it as a relaxation area around the concept of wellbeing,” he explains. “It's not just sleep, it can be light therapy, relaxation, or time for reflection or meditation. In today's open-plan world, we sometimes need to put ourselves in a place where we can shut the world out.”

The business power-nap is not confined to offices. It is a popular fixture of airport lounges too, several of which already have pods. Others, such as Malaysia Airlines' golden lounge in Kuala Lumpur, even go as far as having several small sleeping rooms off the main lounge: “Tired business and first-class travellers can have a short refreshing sleep, either before, after or between flights,” explains Guy Moreau, the company's UK and Ireland marketing manager. “They're a popular facility.”

William Anthony, a professor in rehabilitation sciences at Boston University and author of The Art of Napping at Work, welcomes the arrival of sleep pods at work.