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A company has installed a double bed in the middle of the office after staff made requests for a designated sleep zone.

HR consultancy firm BrightHR in Manchester often asks staff for advice on how to make the working environment more enjoyable, and employees took the opportunity to request for a bed to be installed.

Management initially believed the requests for a sleep zone were a joke, but after doing some research into how bed rest can increase productivity they decided to create a designated area for napping.

Communications manager Sheryl Cookson believes the new addition to the workplace has encouraged staff to become more productive.

Sheryl said: "We have feedback forms in the office and we ask people to give their opinions about how we can make the office better.

"We had a lot of requests for napping rooms and spaces. It seemed to be a very popular request.

"We thought people were just joking at first, but then we went away and started researching into it and realised it could be beneficial for the employees.

(Image: Mercury Press)

"We had the bed delivered whilst we were having a formal presentation with our partners and it caused a real stir.

"The bed arrived and they looked as if to say 'this company is bonkers.'

"People were asking: 'can we really have a nap?' Staff liked the fact that they had been listened to.

"We furnished it like a typical bedroom - it looks like Ikea. It has softer lighting and lamps and a bedside cabinet."

(Image: Mercury Press)

But Sheryl insists staff have used the sleep zone as a creative-thinking space as opposed to a place to ease off a weekday hangover.

Sheryl said: "People use the bed for different things. I have seen people having meetings on it lying down.

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"I have seen a group of five or six people sitting on it like a big office table. It looked like a sleepover.

(Image: Mercury Press)

"I have seen people lying down but I haven't seen somebody under the covers and snoring yet.

"I'm sure some people might have turned up and used it when they have had a hangover but I haven't been told about it."

Staff at BrightHR are now taking part in a pioneering new study to test the power of napping on the job.

Working with leading bed makers Silentnight and their resident sleep expert, BrightHR is one of the first UK companies to trial the benefits of power naps.

(Image: Mercury Press)

Silentnight sleep expert, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, said: "When we sleep the levels of stress hormones that are produced drop off - adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol levels become less intense.

"Therefore if we can rest and nap during the working day we are constantly keeping these tricky levels at bay.

"A power nap can leave you feeling completely energised and your eyes will be refreshed, if we are working with computers or an office environment this can stop people becoming sluggish at their desks and in turn more productive.

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"A tranquil napping space can boost wellbeing, ensuring a happier, less stressed workforce and will increase productivity by refreshing the mind."

And Sheryl agrees that the bed has increased productivity in the office.

Sheryl said: "People have been more relaxed since the arrival of the bed. If I am feeling really tired at work I take few minutes' rest and I feel refreshed straightaway. There is definitely a benefit.

"We are keeping the bed indefinitely."