Leading employers acknowledge the vital need for sufficient sleep and they are supporting this by providing their employees with dedicated rest facilities. MetroNaps works for a broad range of clients and has implemented installations in offices, hospitals, universities and fitness centers in dozens of countries across four continents.
Is more sleep an answer to S’pore’s productivity problem?
Singaporeans are amongst the most sleep deprived nation worldwide.
In fact, Singapore is the 3rd most sleep-deprived of the 43 cities profiled in a report published recently. Only in Tokyo and Seoul the people sleep lesser. Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not okay. Chronic sleep deprivation, whatever the reason, will significantly affect your health, work performance, safety, and general sense of well-being.
It is an unfortunate side effect of our famously workaholic culture, with some even considering it a badge of honour to sacrifice sleep for work. With only 24 hours a day, it was previously seen as a skill to be able to operate on little rest – the simple equation used to be that the less you sleep, the more you can achieve.
The entry of millennials and Gen Z into the workforce is also forcing employers to rethink their working cultures to retain younger talent who are increasingly pushing for work-life balance over bonuses. More companies here are now addressing this issue by taking the lead to offer on-site sleep facilities such as sleep pods or even hammocks for workers to take power naps during work hours.
SAP Asia was one of the first companies in Singapore to install an actual nap pod in the office back in 2010, says Jairo Fernandez, senior vice-president of HR at SAP Asia Pacific Japan. It is placed in a quiet corner of the office and fitted with a helmet-like dome for privacy.
Allowing employees to take a short 15-20 minute nap is an easy and effective way to boost alertness and productivity. It also improves mood, creativity and learning. The long term health benefits are also substantial.
