Uncovering Workplace Napping By: Barbara Chandler Source: Executive Update Feature Published: May 2000 As soon as the hands on the clock reached 11:30 a.m., the young woman rushed out of her office. With a singular purpose she walked briskly down the hall, upstairs to a room in a seldom-used portion of the building. When she reached her destination, she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. After reassuring herself she was alone, she pushed open the metal door, walked across the room, slipped into the stall, sat down on the toilet, laid her head on the paper dispenser, and closed her eyes. The woman in the story above is called a stallnapper, a term coined by Camille Anthony and William Anthony in their book, The Art of Napping at Work. Napping in a bathroom stall is one in a list of innovative places people have picked to nap without fear of discovery. A quotation from the Anthonys’ book illustrates just how widespread and secretive this practice is: "Employees are hiding their naps from their colleagues, who are hiding their naps from them. And their bosses and supervisors are too tired to notice." It’s no wonder that some workers nap in secret. Napping at work has a stigma attached to it. People stereotype professionals who nap as "weak," "lazy," and "unproductive." A person who naps openly at an office that does not have napping as policy runs the risk of being labeled, as illustrated in the following anecdote: "In an office where I was employed some time ago, coworkers and I often walked in on one attorney who regularly napped in the afternoon. We sniped about him with good-natured humor behind his back. We’d roll our eyes and say, ‘Oh, he’s getting his beauty sleep.’ He was a nice man, but he didn’t have our respect. He was sort of the office joke," Sheri McGregor says. "Other attorneys made jokes about his behavior also. ‘Oh, don’t put that call through. You’ll interrupt his nap,’ they’d say." In their book, the Anthonys present a convincing case that workplace napping rules should be written into policy. Using results from a survey, they build their case by citing many stories of napping at work, as well as major scientific studies that back up their premise that napping can lead to increased productivity, safety, and morale. Napping should be seen as a natural, no-cost way to increase safety and productivity, explain the Anthonys, who believe it should be instituted as a break policy just like eating and smoking. "We are not saying that people should be sleeping on the job. We’re saying that people should be sleeping at the job," Camille explains. "If people are allowed to nap, we believe employers will find they have happier, more-productive employees who will benefit the bottom line and add to the morale of the company." Through their work, the Anthonys have brought napping out of the closet — and toilet stall — into the open for serious consideration as a common workplace issue.
