Christopher Ellis
Chris Ellis is an HR Consultant with Mace & Jones. He has been in HR Management throug...  full profile

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Sleeping on the job

(24th July | 10:00)

I recently saw an article about a company that has installed sleeping pods in the office so that staff can have a 20 minute "power nap". The aim is supposed to be about increasing productivity and improving the well-being of staff but perhaps we should think about why staff might want forty winks during the day.

The increasing emphasis in business on performance and achieving targets must eventually take its toll. I am sure, for example, that in many office environments the practice of having breaks away from workstations has all but disappeared and staff often remain at their desk simply to get through the work. Is "power napping" genuinely likely to improve employee well-being or might it simply massage the true situation by keeping people just away from the cliff edge.

Management's motivation for providing benefits is always an interesting topic. Is it to facilitate a short but productive career until the cliff edge becomes an attractive proposition or is there a desire to create a culture within the organisation that promotes work-life balance, produces high staff retention levels and builds a reputation within the market as an employer of choice.

If the latter, might, for example, introducing flexible working be a better option than sleeping pods? Actions speak louder than words and I think it is no use employers saying they "put people first" or that their staff are their "greatest asset'' unless their employees actually believe it. In my view, providing sleeping pods, gyms or any other facility will only have a beneficial, long-term impact on productivity if they are genuinely representative of an organisations commitment to a holistic approach to good HR management practices.

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