A Perth office is encouraging its staff to “nap openly” on the job as new data reveals more than half of the nation’s employees turned up to work exhausted in the past year.
The annual sleep survey – conducted by CoreData on behalf of HIF – found that up to one in five workdays were being affected by poor sleep, with significant economic impacts.
Ryan Miller takes a nap at work.Credit: HIF
Of the 1003 working Australians surveyed for the 2024 Sleep Index Survey, 54 per cent admitted they had turned up to work exhausted, and almost nine in 10 said it was impacting their productivity.
Moreover, nearly three in 10 Aussies have faked a “sickie” because they were too tired to work, and 15 per cent had taken a “sneaky” nap at work or during work hours.
Health Insurance Fund of WA chief executive Justin James led by example and took the first nap in the new rest space.Credit: HIF
Breaking down the data further, 61 per cent of mothers of young children turned up to work exhausted, compared to 53 per cent of fathers of young children.
In what Health Insurance Fund of WA chief executive Justin James called a “defining moment”, the company’s head office decided to practice what they preached and created a space where staff could rest and sleep.
“We initiated the sleeping space in the last quarter of 2024 as a means of progressing our work on sleep and what we do within our own organisation to promote healthy sleep habits and opportunities to get better rest,” James said.
“No point talking about sleep and the construct of how that affects the community without also doing something for our employees.”
Having spent time working in Shanghai, James saw that napping at work was more widely accepted, with staff seats convertible to lay flat.
There is also the case of the Spanish siesta – a period of time after lunch where many shops close for staff to go home and rest.
Now in use for more than a month, James said the stigma around resting at work was slowly breaking, with the “rest and relax” room becoming more in-demand.
“In Australian workplaces, we used to think sleeping at work in any capacity was taboo,” he said.
“But I saw in China people respect sleep, and they understand that productivity, good sleep and good health should all be part of one solution.”
The room is a dark, cool and quiet space – complete with sleep machine – that can be booked just like scheduling a regular meeting.
HIF employee Ryan Miller, 29, welcomed the idea and admitted he had been able to fall asleep at work while using the space.
“I am guilty of sometimes coming into work completely exhausted, and I will catch myself slowing down,” he said.
“I just go and have a nap, and then I’m back, working faster than what I would have done.”
Sleep expert Amanda Slinger, who works with businesses across the country to optimise employee performance, said poor sleep was a critical workplace issue.
“When employees are under-slept, they’re at greater risk of errors, poor decisions, and stress-related illnesses, which directly impact an organisation’s bottom line,” she said.
As well as the dedicated room for sleeping, HIF staff also took company-wide training to encourage making sleep a priority.
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