5 Signs The Corporate World Is Finally Ditching The ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’ Mentality
In a LinkedIn blog post, Holmes touched on the dangers of sleep deprivation amid the tech industry’s “workaholic culture” — where developers subsist on energy drinks and Adderall, and managers take pride in pulling all-nighters. Decrying Silicon Valley’s stimulant problem, Holmes stressed the importance of getting adequate rest and highlighted the steps companies like his are taking to promote better sleep among their workforce and avoid employee burnout. “In your job, you can sprint from time to time,” Holmes wrote, “but long-term success depends on maintaining a marathoner’s steady gait.”
2. Conquering The World Begins The Night Before
Amazon and Zappos
As CEO of online retail giant Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos never slows down. From making bold steps in the world of media (in 2013 he acquired The Washington Post), to working on drone deliveries and space rockets, Bezos is one of the busiest business leaders around. All this does not prevent him from getting a solid eight hours of sleep on a typical night, though — a healthy habit he’s kept since 1999.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bezos praised the power of sleep, saying he is more alert and is able to think clearly after a good night’s rest. His company walks, or sleeps, the talk by providing nap rooms at the company’s Seattle headquarters.
Zappos, a fellow online retailer and pioneer of workplace “power-napping,” began its practice of sleeping on the job back in 2004. CEO Tony Hsieh has been outspoken about the importance of Zs, saying a 20-minute nap can make people more effective during the day. The company started with low-tech nap rooms and have since added EnergyPods — ergonomically designed napping chairs — to aid those employees looking to nap beyond the couches. The EnergyPods are furnished with built-in sound systems and headphone jacks to help eliminate background noise, even in bustling common areas.
3. The Virtue Of Sleep Starts At The Top
Lightspan Digital and The Huffington Post
As a young entrepreneur heading a digital marketing company, Lightspan Digital’s CEO Mana Ionescu used to believe she could sleep less and get more done — that is, until she was involved in a car accident caused by exhaustion following a sleepless night. Since then, Ionescu has taken steps to improve the quality of her sleep, such as keeping a regular sleep schedule and aiming for eight hours a night. These adjustments to her lifestyle,she says, changed everything.
“I am able to work more, decisions are easier to make, business is easier to close,” Ionescu told Fortune. “I’ve been running half marathons and solved problems that before seemed almost impossible to solve.”
Like Ionescu, HuffPost editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington has embraced the value of quality sleep since a 2007 fall and injury she suffered while exhausted. She has since become a “sleep evangelist,” bringing her values to the workplace. In Thrive (2014), in countless interviews and in her latest book, The Sleep Revolution, Huffington preaches against the unsustainable habit of 18-hour workdays, and stresses the importance of unplugging in order to wind down and recharge. So, it’s really no surprise that Huffington brought this philosophy to the office, installing nap rooms and encouraging staffers to put down their phones and get their beauty sleep and then some.