Solving the Workplace Puzzle: What is Sleep?

Sleep is a luxury that people who work don’t always have…or do they? Employees are busy trying to work enough so that they can pay bills, feed their families, and buy the goods and services that they want and need. Work becomes the main priority so that they can achieve these objectives, so sleep sometimes gets put in the back burner as something that can be done later when there is “more time.” This leads to tired employees that may not be able to function as well as they would if they had otherwise gotten more rest. I happened upon the blog post by Liz Strauss called “Should You Allow Your Employees to Nap While on the Job?” and I thought that it was especially interesting because as a university student, getting enough sleep is also quite rare. In the post Liz talks about how sleep deprivation cost US businesses $63 billion in lost productivity every year. This is an enormous amount of money lost just because of a problem that can be so easily solved. I thought that it was interesting how some companies are recognizing the colossal problem that is sleep deprivation in their employees, so they graciously allow them nap-time or designated nap rooms.

Employers realize that by allowing their employees to nap, they are promoting their worker’s well-being which ultimately leads to the company’s well-being because of enhanced performances and less sick days.

(http://thedementiaqueen.com/2012/12/get-some-sleep/)

Jawa, a software developer based in Scottsdale, Arizona, installed two nap rooms in their workplace. The theme of one of the nap rooms is zen, having feng shui décor and earthy tones, while the other room is beach-themed with a unique sleeping pod. By offering their employees space and time for rest, they are promoting their belief that their employees’ health and well-being are important to them. This organizational culture that they have built caters to their employees needs and guarantees that their workers are happy and healthy.

Sleep does not have to be a fantasy anymore for those hardworking employees. They no longer need to constantly wonder: What is sleep? Sleep is available for them to take advantage of thanks to their wonderful employers. Now only if UBC had some of these nap rooms…