Employees are typically less productive when they are overworked and sleep-deprived says Lauren Salt, an executive in ENSafrica’s employment department.

She cited a recent South African study conducted by Charles King from the University of Stellenbosch Business School which found that a lack of sleep among employees results in direct and indirect costs to employers.

The study found that sleep-deprived employees are at higher risk of life-threatening chronic illness and disability, are more likely to cause workplace accidents, less productive and more absent – adding up to an economic liability in the billions.

“It goes without saying that, when employees are in need of an energy boost, a nap will go a long way in achieving this,” said Salt.

“The American non-profit organisation, the National Sleep Foundation, explains that, by definition, a power nap is a short, 20 or 30-minute nap, which is taken as a productivity boost.

“The brevity of the nap is what makes it so effective. It is also most effective to take a nap when one most needs it, such as during that productivity dip in the afternoon with which we are all too familiar.”

Sleep pods

To combat these issues, the likes of Google, Uber, Nike, Huffington Post and other mega-corporations have set the trend of introducing “sleep pods” which employees can use during working hours to rejuvenate their energy levels.

Some of these companies have been utilising sleep pods for nearly a decade however, this phenomenon has not made the jump to South Africa.

“Aside from the select few companies in South Africa that do make use of sleep pods, most employers do not make use of this innovation for a reason one can only assume: sleeping on the job is perceived as a taboo, “Salt said.

“South African corporates seem to maintain the idea that the more sleep-deprived and exhausted you are, the harder you must be working and if you are napping on the job, you are lazy or not coping.

“This is an outdated view which employers ought to move away from if they want to retain not only healthy employees but happy ones too. This is particularly important for the upcoming Millennial and Gen Z workforce who are quick to change jobs if their needs are not being accommodated.”

Industry-appropriate

While the use of sleep pods in the workplace is likely to be considered by most to be innovative and progressive, Salt said it may not be appropriate for all employers in all industries.

“It may be more appropriate in certain industries where employees are physically required to be at work for lengthy periods of time, for example, technical experts or IT support functions,” she said.

“In this regard, employers may well benefit in the long run from promoting sleep in the workplace. On the other hand, in industries where employees’ physical presence is not necessarily required and they can work remotely, there may not be such a great benefit to the employer.

“Employees may be able to work from home or any other remote location and may not find as much use in sleeping at work.”

She added that if employers are considering the introduction of sleep pods, they should be mindful of certain considerations:

If they are used as a means of pushing through the night, the consequence of not separating work life from home life may be counterproductive in that employees may get into the habit of spending more time at work (due to the availability of sleeping facilities), which may impact their personal lives;

Individuals are vulnerable when they are asleep and there is a possibility of increased sexual harassment incidents which should be carefully managed and monitored. Similarly, it may encourage more office romances if the pods are big enough to accommodate more than one employee at a time; and

There may be zoning or lease restrictions if, for instance, the area is not zoned for sleeping on the property or the lease agreement prohibits this.

“It is clear that a balance needs to be struck between the pros and cons of allowing employees to nap in the workplace during or after working hours,” said Salt.

“Employers need to be cognisant of the benefits of employees getting enough shut-eye, but also cognisant of the risk of this happening at the workplace.

“Before spending money on installing sleep pods, employers should: (i) do proper due diligence into whether, for their workforce, it would be effective and beneficial; and, (ii) decide upon the napping no-no’s.”

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