First Comment

Here at the Astron Solutions World of HR blog, you may think that we're obsessed with napping. In January of 2009 we quoted a study that we found on ESPN.com that says that people ought to take afternoon naps, in March of 2009 Jennifer wrote about National Nap Day, Labor Day last year we posted that Bloomberg and Yahoo! gave a nod to napping, and a month ago Astronology said that 50 million Americans suffer from sleep problems. Well napping has moved past the traditional workplace and is now prevalent among basketball players in the NBA according to the New York Times:

In the United States, napping is often stigmatized, seen as evidence of laziness or a lack of purpose. But in the world of sports, and certainly in the N.B.A., the attitude is entirely different.

“You’re nocturnal in terms of what you do, playing at night, so your body adjusts to the rhythm of being up late, getting in early in the morning,” said Grant Hill, [Steve] Nash’s teammate with the Phoenix Suns. “You’re tired around midday. Naps are important. It refreshes you. It gets you ready for competition.”

The key now is to figure out a way to get rid of that stigma in the rest of society. A 20-30 minute "power nap" at work can be the way to keep your employee base fresh and to keep them from burning out or making mistakes. While others may be okay shunning naps, here at Astron's World of HR, we're trying to make it an accepted practice in the workplace.

Speaking of basketball...if you are interested in getting involved in a NCAA tournament pool, you can check out my sports blog, NYaT, where we have a pool open to all Astron Solutions World of HR readers. Go over there and test your mettle for a chance to win bragging rights as the best of the blog. Good luck!

On Labor Day, be thankful to those who do labor for you: your employees. But while you and they are probably enjoying a day off, let's take a look at some links about your labor force.

First from the Wall Street Journal, an article from two weeks ago that got a lot of attention: "The End of Management." It's a provocative piece that makes you think if you would really be better off having managers who act like venture capitalists. It would certainly mean interesting things for the labor force.

Also from the Wall Street Journal, an older article that talks about how Goldman Sachs is banning naughty words in their e-mails, making sure their labor force doesn't use any language that will show up controversially in a congressional hearing like they had this past summer.

Next, from Yahoo! Finance via Bloomberg Businessweek, a nod to napping in the office (H/T Wendy). While before it was an act that could get employees fired, this article says that companies are more and more encouraging their labor force to get some zzz's at the workplace.

Lastly, from the New York Times Career Couch, a Q&A that asks about the separation between church and cubicle, among other labor-related topics.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your holiday BBQs!

If you haven't already heard, today is National Napping Day! I was shocked when I learned about this from SHRM. Who knew there was a holiday dedicated specifically to rest!

When I nap, I wake up flushed, nauseous, and cranky, so I will pass on the day's festivities. ;-) For those who find naps refreshing, however, today's a great day to press the pause button on life, even for just 10 minutes. If you don't have time for a nap, take a few quiet moments for yourself to recharge before tackling the afternoon's activities. With our "Spring Forward" time change yesterday, you may be missing that extra hour of sleep!