EDITORIAL – French make time for naps at work

Are you tired and overworked? Do you count time by the number of Starbucks cups that pile up… Are you tired and overworked? Do you count time by the number of Starbucks cups that pile up in your cubicle? Welcome to working in America. But does it have to be this way? The French say “No.” In fact, take a nap while you’re at work – they’ll even pay for it.

From the people who brought you Europe’s shortest workweek – a 35-hour maximum – comes state-backed siestas. And with supporters like Ronald Reagan, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill, how could this be a bad thing?

The Times reported yesterday that the siesta campaign, which began Tuesday, hopes to encourage the French to “sleep more and better.” According to the article, 20 percent of accidents in France – both road and domestic – as well as low work efficiency, obesity and depression are blamed on tiredness. Health Minister Xavier Bertrand also pointed out that a driver who had been awake for 17 hours functioned with the same skill as someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.5g per liter, the legal limit in France.

The siestas will be more like “power naps” than lengthy naps. Employees will get a 15-minute paid break to take a nap every day after lunch. Does this mean that employees are going to be sleeping at their desks? The details are unclear, but what is clear is that this can only be a good thing.

French workers are already among the most productive workers in the world, according to the Times. Maybe they have the right idea when it comes to short workweeks and paid mid-day naps? Still, the siesta campaign is only voluntary for now. After a period of time has passed, companies will be studied to see how siestas are affecting business and employees. If the results are positive, siestas might be made mandatory for all workers.

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Sure, this sounds all well and good, but why get your hopes up about a similar campaign here in the United States? True, we’re not part of the siesta culture. We don’t have two-hour-long, wine-filled lunches. We’re lucky if we can grab take out and eat it at our desks or between classes. But maybe we have something to learn from our Mediterranean friends.

As The Times pointed out, the French are extremely efficient workers, and that’s probably attributed to shorter work days and fewer hours spent at work overall. It’s not hard to believe that work is easier when you’re not so burnt out from long hours. Employers should give their workers a paid nap break after lunch. They’ll get more out of their employees when they are working if they’re recharged and well rested. And because the American workweek is longer than the French, nap breaks should be proportionally longer.

But in order for this to work, workers would also have to adjust their thinking on the subject. Many people would rather opt out of a paid nap break to leave work a little early. Who can blame them? But burning through your workday without a break isn’t going to help you stay relaxed, rested and efficient.

It all comes down to cultural values, and although it seems pretty unlikely that promoting things like siestas will ever make it into our society, we shouldn’t disregard the idea. It’s great to see the French funding initiatives that promote the well-being of the worker. Hopefully, this program will in turn yield positive effects for the businesses that promote siestas.