Aussies call for afternoon siestas

Although the siesta is being phased in Spain, it looks like Aussie’s wouldn’t mind having a siesta during the day, and even 63% of boss saying that if it could make staff feel more alert and productive they would let them take a 20-minute power-nap during work hours according to a survey by Australia’s leading recruitment and human resources firm, Talent2.

50% of Aussie employees say they think taking a nap at work would make them more productive according to the survey of 1,960 people.

Female bosses are more understanding of the effects of sleepless nights on productivity with 72% saying they would allow the midday siesta compared to 67% of male bosses.

John Banks of Talent2 says that lost productivity through lack of sleep is costing companies a fortune. One study in the US showed that $18 billion dollars a year in lost productivity can be attributed to sleep deprivation.

"Showing employees that you understand they are not machines and allowing them to take a nap during the day is a great way of building morale and a team spirit for bosses."

"There are fantastic examples throughout history of world-leaders that have relied on power-naps. Winston Churchill used to plan his strategic meetings around his naptime; Albert Einstein used to take afternoon naps to increase his productivity and Thomas Edison used to take frequent afternoon naps instead of sleeping at night".