Napping at Work
What’s so terrible about taking a nap at work? Jeez. You would think you were suggesting mainlining drugs in the employee lunchroom, for godsakes.
But napping on the job is anathema to corporate America and most other workplaces.
A recent Time magazine article on napping in the workplace says that a survey by William Anthony, a Boston University professor who created National Napping Day, found that 70 percent of the respondents who sleep at work do it secretly.
The story goes on to demonstrate that naps improve worker performance. To my mind, that is not a reason to add naptime to jobs. If you’re tired, you should nap. Period.
Do you ever nap at work? How do you feel about it?
July 26th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
I recently got diagnosed with sleep apnea and I have had to sleep with a cpap machine–ever since I never feel like sleeping during the day. I believe naps are a good thing and I wish employers could make some allowances for them.
July 26th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
My job is so boring I often nap involuntarily at work! If I nap for real, I go out to the car to do it.
July 30th, 2006 at 7:29 am
Thanks for your comment on my site.
I too suffer from sleep apnea like August and have to use a cpap machine at night. I wake up more rested but go through a sleepy stage after lunch so I’m totally in favor of a little siesta around 2PM. Trouble is – they probably wouldn’t be able to wake me up until quitting time.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:42 pm
My boss falls asleep during meetings. I finally got him on videotape as evidence.
I only napped at work while I was pregnant. I’d close my office door, lay down on the carpet and snooze.
August 1st, 2006 at 8:03 am
I have a hard time getting through the day without a nap somewhere along the way….I’ve always been that way but now I’m on medication that compounds the problem.
August 1st, 2006 at 8:10 am
I occasionally take a nap in my office with the door closed. I keep a travel pillow in a drawer. I always feel guilty about sleeping at work, though.
August 1st, 2006 at 3:25 pm
i read that article in Time magazine too. fascinating! i’ve always
wanted a place to nap at work when i have to work in an office. My
old company had a small room with a chaise lounge and a locked door
and we could use it if we were sick. And when I worked in NYC, if I
wanted to take a nap, there was only Central Park and a few other
parks where you wouldn’t be shooed away by park police if you
stretched out to catch some zzzz’s! Now that I’m at home, if I’m too
tired to work, I take power naps. And sometimes even 2 hours naps
midday.