The first time I heard the ‘nap room’ idea was a couple years ago. I was running a program where I facilitate feedback from a team of employees without the owner present. The idea of a ‘nap room’ came up twice. The second time I had to ask if they were really serious.
They were!
The main argument for the nap room was this:
If I am really tired at work, I am not very productive and am likely prone to make mistakes. If I could get a 20 minute nap, my productivity for the rest of the day would be more than the time lost during the nap.
The main argument against the nap room is:
I pay my employees to work not to sleep!
It makes sense to encourage your employees to get sleep on their own time. However, there are exceptions when a nap room would be a productivity improvement tool. I can think of the time when the employee needs a nap for reasons that are not in their control like a new baby, a middle of the night call to a crisis or even an employee that was called out for a long service call during the night and still works the following day.
Another consideration is the appreciation and uniqueness of having a nap room available to the employees. If you have the space, it is a low cost benefit that could provide a big benefit for those exceptions times when it is both a perk to a tired employee and a productivity boost after the alarm goes off!
Any thoughts or experiences with this concept?
