Metronaps: Sleeping on the job
From The Big Idea on CNBC: Metronaps is a firm that manufactures Pods for people to sit in, listen to music and sleep. The Pod is shaped like well, a pea with an airplane like seat and headphones. At $14 for a 20 min nap, it encourages corporates to allow employees to take a short mid-day siesta that bolsters productivity - that's their USP and it's backed by academic studies. They sell the Pod to companies, as well as have a pod cafe in NYC where people can come in and nap. The company was co-founded by an Indian Arshad Chowdhury and Christopher Lindholst.
I'd agree that a short fulfilling nap would be great to get energized and work the rest of the afternoon. There are of course, a lot of roadblocks to being able to sell the idea - incl. (from the show) companies (e.g. law firms) being apprehensive about letting their clients know about it - $60 an hour, incl. napping for 20 mins? Can they find managers that will pay enough attention to the academic support for naps, to actually take up the idea with their finance and HR? How do employees schedule their naps with limited machines? Wouldn't a policy of 'each employee is entitled to a 20 min nap at their desk' be (nearly) equally effective?
I don't see too many companies buying these (for one - it costs $12,000 apiece). I think after a period of time, they will simply move from selling to having more podcafes themselves near corporate hubs and leasing out Pods to companies for a rental fee (incl. maintenance, upgrades, music choices etc).
Personally, though, I've never felt comfortable sleeping in an airplane seat, no matter how horizontal it can get- have you?
I'd agree that a short fulfilling nap would be great to get energized and work the rest of the afternoon. There are of course, a lot of roadblocks to being able to sell the idea - incl. (from the show) companies (e.g. law firms) being apprehensive about letting their clients know about it - $60 an hour, incl. napping for 20 mins? Can they find managers that will pay enough attention to the academic support for naps, to actually take up the idea with their finance and HR? How do employees schedule their naps with limited machines? Wouldn't a policy of 'each employee is entitled to a 20 min nap at their desk' be (nearly) equally effective?
I don't see too many companies buying these (for one - it costs $12,000 apiece). I think after a period of time, they will simply move from selling to having more podcafes themselves near corporate hubs and leasing out Pods to companies for a rental fee (incl. maintenance, upgrades, music choices etc).
Personally, though, I've never felt comfortable sleeping in an airplane seat, no matter how horizontal it can get- have you?
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