Let’s paint a picture

It is a busy Tuesday afternoon. You are the manager of a small team working on a project. You have been thinking about a few innovative ways to present data to help top management make better data-driven decisions and want to quickly share your ideas with the Monitoring and Evaluation consultant on the project.

You quickly dash from your office into his hoping to have a quick brainstorming session, only to find the staff sleeping/napping. What will be your reaction?

Would you see a lazy staff who can’t summon the enthusiasm to stay awake during work hours? Or one who has become so idle at work and has made sleeping a task? Maybe what you see is a staff who knows the importance of naps and is only tapping into this to enhance work and productivity.

Whatever your reaction would be, here are the facts

Naps can help to improve productivity, enhance overall wellness, and increase alertness.

Knowing this, should organisations play blind to the benefits naps bring, allowing staff to carry out this important act in a hide-and-seek manner for fear of being caught or looked down on as a lazy person?

Some companies are changing the narrative by not just allowing staff to nap, but by supporting them with infrastructures and/or resources to aid napping.

Here are a few organisations leading by example

Google

As a way of encouraging staff to take a nap when needed, Google has provided nap pods to staff who desire to take a nap during work. These nap pods from MetroNaps are so comfortable they include a privacy visor, built-in speakers, and timed waking.

Facebook

Facebook is another organisation walking-the talk. They have across many global campuses designated places for staff to rest.

Should napping become a regular thing?

To bring this article to an end, we would like to stress that a 2-hour sleep isn’t a nap, and taking naps every day may not be a good sign. There are certainly days where naps are needed and others where we do not need one.

Overall, the benefits of naps are priceless and can have long-term positive effects on staff and the organisation at large.