How to Defend Your at Work Napping Habit
Do your research on the value of naps., Be aware that your boss will be looking for reasons that relate to your productivity at work., Explain to your boss that you don't take your naps on work time., Nap out of sight., Offer to share your napping...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Do your research on the value of naps.
It helps to have a scientific arsenal at your fingertips with easily quotable facts about the benefits of napping, in general and perhaps more specifically, while on the job.
Some benefits you might quote include:
Napping improves both your productivity and your mood according to Boston University professor William Anthony.NASA scientists encourage astronauts to take naps to combat sleeplessness and thereby minimize "irritability, forgetfulness and fatigue".Naps can help you to improve your ability to solve complex problems.A 15 minute nap can rejuvenate an exhausted worker and can be better than a cup of coffee.A 20 minute "power nap" can refresh you.A 90-180 minute nap can be "restorative" and help overcome sleep deprivation (although this is only recommended for the weekend).Those who nap regularly have been shown to have a reduced risk of heart disease.Life in countries where siestas exist is more balanced and less workaholic.
This might only interest a boss heading a creative, quirky firm interested in work-life balance though.
If you're doing shift work, napping can be beneficial as a tool for maintaining vigilance and alertness during the shift.
To this end, the UK Royal College of Physicians recommends a 30 minute nap after every 4 hours worked. -
Step 2: Be aware that your boss will be looking for reasons that relate to your productivity at work.
Your boss is less likely to be interested in the benefits of napping to your long-term health; after all, long-term you could be well out of that job! , Schedule naps during breaks or lunch, or make up for the nap time by working the extra minutes at day's end.
Show your boss how you work this out on your time-sheet, to reassure him or her. , One of the concerns a boss is likely to have is that you at-work napping looks unproductive.
Even though you'll be swearing black and blue that it is one of the most productive things you can do to stay alert on the job, by staying out of sight when napping, you'll at least avoid any misplaced thoughts that you're slacking off in full view.
Reassure your boss by explaining that you choose to nap in such places as the car, under the desk, in the sick room, in the locker room, behind a door, wherever.
In places like Tokyo and New York City, it is possible to buy nap spots in "pods" for set periods of time.
You might like to take advantage of these offers if you can't justify the work nap but still need your day nap. , Perhaps encouraging everyone else to feel better and more refreshed would be a good thing if your office is a place of constant pressure and stress.
Offering your training services as a nap guru based on the grounds of improving office harmony and productivity might be one way of encouraging acceptance of the role of the nap at work.
In this case, inform your boss that some enlightened businesses have already included napping space in their offices, such as Yarde Metals in Bristol, Connecticut.Expect most bosses to say no initially.
Be persistent and persuasive.
Tie your offer to "National Workplace Napping Day"
an unofficial US-wide event created by a Boston University professor; the day aims to encourage the nap in the workplace. -
Step 3: Explain to your boss that you don't take your naps on work time.
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Step 4: Nap out of sight.
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Step 5: Offer to share your napping knowledge and skills around the office.
Detailed Guide
It helps to have a scientific arsenal at your fingertips with easily quotable facts about the benefits of napping, in general and perhaps more specifically, while on the job.
Some benefits you might quote include:
Napping improves both your productivity and your mood according to Boston University professor William Anthony.NASA scientists encourage astronauts to take naps to combat sleeplessness and thereby minimize "irritability, forgetfulness and fatigue".Naps can help you to improve your ability to solve complex problems.A 15 minute nap can rejuvenate an exhausted worker and can be better than a cup of coffee.A 20 minute "power nap" can refresh you.A 90-180 minute nap can be "restorative" and help overcome sleep deprivation (although this is only recommended for the weekend).Those who nap regularly have been shown to have a reduced risk of heart disease.Life in countries where siestas exist is more balanced and less workaholic.
This might only interest a boss heading a creative, quirky firm interested in work-life balance though.
If you're doing shift work, napping can be beneficial as a tool for maintaining vigilance and alertness during the shift.
To this end, the UK Royal College of Physicians recommends a 30 minute nap after every 4 hours worked.
Your boss is less likely to be interested in the benefits of napping to your long-term health; after all, long-term you could be well out of that job! , Schedule naps during breaks or lunch, or make up for the nap time by working the extra minutes at day's end.
Show your boss how you work this out on your time-sheet, to reassure him or her. , One of the concerns a boss is likely to have is that you at-work napping looks unproductive.
Even though you'll be swearing black and blue that it is one of the most productive things you can do to stay alert on the job, by staying out of sight when napping, you'll at least avoid any misplaced thoughts that you're slacking off in full view.
Reassure your boss by explaining that you choose to nap in such places as the car, under the desk, in the sick room, in the locker room, behind a door, wherever.
In places like Tokyo and New York City, it is possible to buy nap spots in "pods" for set periods of time.
You might like to take advantage of these offers if you can't justify the work nap but still need your day nap. , Perhaps encouraging everyone else to feel better and more refreshed would be a good thing if your office is a place of constant pressure and stress.
Offering your training services as a nap guru based on the grounds of improving office harmony and productivity might be one way of encouraging acceptance of the role of the nap at work.
In this case, inform your boss that some enlightened businesses have already included napping space in their offices, such as Yarde Metals in Bristol, Connecticut.Expect most bosses to say no initially.
Be persistent and persuasive.
Tie your offer to "National Workplace Napping Day"
an unofficial US-wide event created by a Boston University professor; the day aims to encourage the nap in the workplace.
About the Author
Joseph Diaz
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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