The Sleep Council has suggested that businesses may get more out of their employees if they allow staff an afternoon ‘power nap’.
The comments arose following a survey by Crampex which found that a quarter of British workers admit to taking days off due to exhaustion.
Jessica Alexander from the Sleep Council said: “I think what would be a much more [beneficial] thing for businesses to look at is finding out about their client’s sleep patterns and body clocks and when they are at their best and offering flexi hours in that sense.”
The research also found that only 21% of employees get the recommended eight hours of sleep a night, meaning they are more likely to be unproductive at work.
Talking exclusively to HR Zone, Peter Thomson, director of Henley Management College’s innovative Future Work Forum said: “People who are able to work at home and aren’t tied to their desks nine to five report improved productivity. This is because they can take a nap when they want or go for a walk; they choose a pattern of work that suits their lifestyle. There’s no law of nature that suggests people work best from nine to five in fact there’s lots of evidence to suggest this isn’t the case.”
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Napping benefits productivity, staff engagement & work-life bala
The article above suggesting that Power Naps should be used in the British working day makes great sense. Here’s some more evidence. NASA found that pilots who took a nap were 100% more alert and 34% more productive. Harvard Medical School research showed a 30% improvement in productivity and up to 8 hours of increased energy even after a brief nap.
Napping has also been proven to boost Energy, alertness, mood, creativity, motor skills as well as reduce stress and risk of heart disease to name but a few other significant benefits.
Humans are naturally biphasic meaning we, like all mammals, are designed for two rests during a 24-hour period. A long sleep at night and a shorter one during the day. Famous high achievers including Churchill, Edison & Einstein (to name but a few) all took naps.
It’s time to take a fresh approach to productivity and staff well-being and tackling sleep – the third pillar of health, is key to achieving this.