- Sleeping at work can boost employees' attention, memory and perseverance.
- Employees who get good sleep work faster, make fewer errors, and do it all without reaching emotional extremes.
- Whether you should discipline employees for sleeping at work varies by situation, though federal law protects some conditions that lead to daytime sleep.
- This article is for business owners and managers looking to minimize employees sleeping at work, understand how naps may benefit productivity, and understand when sleep conditions qualify as disabilities.
Employers have long frowned upon workers dozing off at their desks in the middle of the day. However, past research has shown that letting workers sleep on the job can actually be a good thing for businesses. So, how should you handle sleep in the workplace? Here's how sleeping at work impacts job performance and how you should encourage or discourage it.
How does sleep impact job performance?
According to the Sleep Foundation, good sleep is highly beneficial for top-tier job performance. These are some ways the Sleep Foundation says that good sleep affects job performance:
- Better focus, attention and vigilance
- Fewer "microsleeps"
- Fewer errors and omissions
- Faster reaction times
- Lower likelihood of work-related anger, irritability or stress
- Fewer extreme emotions
- Lower long-term risk for anxiety and depression that lower job performance
Additionally, the Sleep Foundation's 2021 guide to good sleep and job performance cites a 2007 study showing how bad sleep affects the economy. This study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, linked fatigue during work hours to $136.4 billion lost per year.
How sleeping at work helps employees regulate emotions
Providing employees with napping pods or offering extended breaks can improve productivity by counteracting impulsive behavior and boosting tolerance for frustration, according to a study from the University of Michigan. Napping can also increase workplace safety.
For the study, researchers examined how a brief nap affected the emotional control of 40 adults ages 18 to 50. During the experiment, researchers randomly assigned participants either a 60-minute nap opportunity or a no-nap period that involved watching a nature video. All of the participants then completed tasks on computers and answered questions about sleepiness, mood and impulsivity.
Results from this study and previous research show that not sleeping through the night can impair workers' attention and memory and contribute to fatigue. They also indicate that staying awake for an extended time hinders people from controlling negative emotional responses, said Jennifer Goldschmied, the lead author of the study for the University of Michigan, where she was earning her Ph.D. at the time.
The study's authors found that participants who napped spent more time trying to solve a task than the non-nappers, who were less willing to endure the frustration required to complete it. Nappers also reported feeling less impulsive.
"Our results suggest that napping may be a beneficial intervention for individuals who may be required to remain awake for long periods of time by enhancing the ability to persevere through difficult or frustrating tasks," said Goldschmied in a statement published alongside the study.
The study, which appeared in the online issue of the academic journal Personality and Individual Differences, was co-authored by University of Michigan psychology professor Patricia Deldin, graduate student Philip Cheng, and research assistants Kathryn Kemp, Lauren Caccamo, and Julia Roberts.
How to discipline (or not discipline) employees for sleeping at work
Many employers discipline employees for sleeping at work. In some cases, this may still be necessary. But as the University of Michigan study suggests, punitive measures for sleeping at work may be a step too far.
When to discipline employees for sleeping at work
Whether you should discipline employees for sleeping at work partly depends on the nature of their work. It also depends on the activities during which they fall asleep and whether their on-the-job sleep truly impacts their work.
For example, if a desk employee nods off for 20 minutes during a lunch break, you might as well let it slide. After all, they're on break. If they nod off for 20 minutes during an internal meeting, you might want to gently reprimand them. If they nod off for 20 minutes while operating dangerous equipment or attending a client meeting, discipline may be necessary.
No matter what, you should speak to the employee to figure out why they were feeling tired before disciplining them. Under certain circumstances, it might actually backfire to discipline employees for sleeping at work.
When not to discipline employees for sleeping at work
An astounding 50 to 70 million Americans live with sleep disorders that may lead to them sleeping at work. These conditions – which include narcolepsy, sleep apnea, sleepwalking and insomnia – may be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Even if an employee's condition isn't covered under ADA, you're better off working with the employee in question on a solution that works for you both. One option is to allow employees to call in (or leave early) on days when they're too tired to properly work. You can set up such a program through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
An FMLA sleep-related program can remove some liability on your end. In 2013, a federal court ruled that employers can terminate employees who sleep at work without taking the proper steps to use their FMLA leave.
However, a 2014 court case found an employer liable for firing an employee with a sleep condition covered under the ADA. In that case, the employer was found not to have worked with the employee to find a meaningful solution for both parties. So when you find your employees sleeping at work, ask them why, then collaborate to accommodate them. You'll both be happier – and perhaps more productive.
Max Freedman contributed to the writing and reporting in this article.