A to ZZZ’s
Green Goldfish #147 – Workman Publishing
According to US News and World Report:
At Workman Publishing in New York, employees usually sleep underneath their desks or behind room-divider screens. “You can close your eyes for 10 or 15 minutes and wake up feeling completely refreshed,” says Susan Bolotin, Workman’s editor in chief, which has been nap-friendly since 2007. “We’ve seen very positive effects. I keep a nap mat in my office, and I’m still known to lie down, put my sleep mask on, and see what happens.” Bolotin has distributed eye masks to her team, and sometimes lends her office floor to those without a private workspace who are in need of a nap. “We have one guy who works here who likes to nap, and you’ll walk by and he’ll be lying down on a mat like a kid in nursery school,” she says.
Here’s a YouTube video on Sleeping on the Job at Workman:
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra for good measure) – At JAWA (Green Goldfish#886), a software developing company in Scottsdale, Ariz., employees can nap on a cot in a Zen-like room featuring soothing earth tones. Or they can opt for a beach-themed room and snooze in a futuristic “energy pod”—a helmet-shaped chair that only exposes their legs, which are elevated above the heart. The contraption shuts out external distractions and offers a sense of total darkness and privacy, and it vibrates when it’s time to wake up.
The nap rooms are popular among the company’s nearly 200 employees, and are the brainchild of Brad Owen, director of content development at JAWA.
When I have to get something done and I’m here a little late, I can either take a 15-minute nap and get it done within an hour—or I can just sit and slog through it, and it will take longer and the quality will suffer,” he says. “We definitely see people using [the nap rooms] when they’re tired, instead of slamming another energy drink and trying to power through.” Employees usually nap during their breaks, Owen says, so they don’t have to compensate by staying late: “It’s pretty much on your honor, and we haven’t had much abuse.” (Source: US News and World Report)
Here’s a peak at an energy pod:
All of the examples in this post were taken from the Green Goldfish Project. The Project is a quest to find 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe for employees. Green goldfish are the little signature extras given to employees. They help differentiate a company, reinforce culture, increase retention and drive positive WoM. The book, “What’s Your Green Goldfish?” will be published on March 29, 2013.
