Andy walking, Andy tired
Andy take a little snooze
David Bowie
The #MeToo movement has done much to staunch the torrent of workplace sexual harassment. While there were earlier signal moments that brought this issue to the forefront—most notably, 1991’s dramatic Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings—#MeToo raised the bar considerably, rendering such behavior far more unacceptable.
Nonetheless, despite progress, sexual harassment persists in most every industry. Even high-profile lawsuits and firings have failed to eliminate the problem. Worse, when caught, sexual harassers too often go on to harass another day. It’s disheartening to realize that while sexual harassment is immoral, counterproductive, and even illegal under civil law it yet remains far from taboo!
Similarly, employment discrimination for reasons of race, sexual preference, religion, gender, age, and so on, persists despite all efforts to the contrary. Sure you can be sued for employment discrimination and even face government sanctions if you are particularly egregious. Yet, as with sexual harassers, for those caught discriminating it is too easy to just resume their bigotry once they are no longer under scrutiny. Discrimination is repugnant and legally actionable, but it is still not quite taboo!
You would think then that workplace thievery in all its forms would be considered taboo, right? After all, no one likes a thief, but even when thieves are caught, exposure rarely ends them. As with harassment and discrimination—despite the firing, the suing, and even the incarcerating, it is shockingly easy to just start over again. For one thing, there are entire industries that are notorious for ripping people off. Have you ever purchased a used car from a sketchy dealership or experienced a sudden price hike for an essential drug or tried to attend a recent Taylor Swift concert? And don’t get me started about wage theft, where employers rip off their hard-working employees!
And what about workers who steal from their companies? I bet you are picturing a mechanic swiping the occasional wrench or a barista who sneaks a few bucks from the register. No, I am talking about grand theft! The CEO who charges personal luxuries to the company or the controller who siphons the “postage” funds. Just like harassment and discrimination, theft happens all the time at every level, and exposure and even prosecution are not enough. The perps may well survive to perp again. Bottom line, stealing is far from taboo in our society.
So what does “taboo” mean? A taboo is a social norm that bans or forbids some practice or behavior. The taboo practice is regarded as so despicable or so sacred that it should not be even considered let alone discussed.
So if harassment, discrimination, and even stealing—all heinous practices—are not taboo, what is? What workplace practice, at its mere mention, universally causes us to recoil in dread and disdain and even disgust? What then is perhaps our greatest workplace taboo?
Napping: 40 Winks and Some Drool
Yup. That’s it. Napping, specifically on the job napping. Just mention the idea of taking a quick snooze after a meeting, and the responses will range from uncomfortable laughter to outright anger. Napping is so unacceptable that we dare not speak of it in most contexts let alone actually do it. Napping, we are told, is for children and the elderly. Everyone else stay perky!
In fact, sleep itself is often viewed as a weakness while sleep deprivation is hailed as a lofty achievement. Go ahead and tell your colleagues that you get eight solid hours of sleep every night—the actual amount that actual sleep researchers say we actually need for optimal health and wellbeing. Your colleagues will regard you as lazy as they boast about how they only sleep on vacation, which is every four years or so. No wonder everyone is so cranky at work! Could our epidemic of bad bossing stem from chronic sleep deprivation among managers?
If that is how we regard nightly slumber, napping doesn’t stand a chance! And yet, grabbing a midday catnap of up to 20 minutes when you are dragging can fully refresh and rejuvenate you, boosting your productivity, and getting you back on track for the remainder of the day. Instead, what are we taught? Suppress that biological need for sleep and just power through! But here’s the dirty secret: Powering through may seem like a constructive option, but it rarely matches the effectiveness of a timely nap.
Years ago I was attending a conference lunch when the subject of sleep came up at my table. One person at the table said something so bold, so shocking that it has stayed with me to this day. With no shame and with evident pride, she proclaimed herself “the queen of power-napping.” She shared how when her energy wanes midafternoon, she just puts her head down and dozes off for a few minutes. Then she wakes up and gets back to work with increased vigor and focus. The table was scandalized, but her confidence was infectious. Though everyone, including me, felt compelled to declare that napping was not for us, the queen of power-napping quietly became my hero in that moment.
Not long after, I started experimenting with napping in the office. Just a little bit at first, just a Z or two. No one had to know my little secret.
You know how these things get started—just a small bit to try, and then curiosity gets the better of you. It’s not a big deal, so what’s the harm? No one has to know. Besides, all those big-wig executives do it all the time. When did they start? Probably when they were at your level. If you start now, maybe one day you can become big shot just like them or can at least feel like it now. There’s nothing wrong with a little midday kick! Next thing you know, boom! You’re hooked and blowing half your salary on . . .
Oops. Sorry. We were talking about napping, weren’t we?
I am not suggesting you need to develop a full-on daily siesta habit, but the occasional power-nap, 20 minutes or so, can be just the thing to help you fire up your productivity and stay at your best for the rest of the day. If you are a leader, you can suggest it to your people, but be prepared for pushback. The typical worker will greet your suggestion with hostility. If napping is impossible in your workspace, which is frequently the case, that’s a shame given all we know about the benefits of recharging. Your employer is wasting productivity by replacing it with time on task, which is not the same thing.
So the question remains. Why is napping more intolerable than sexual misconduct, discrimination, and even theft? We know that napping is incredibly beneficial, so why does it feel like a grave sin? How is it possible that napping remains our greatest workplace taboo? I really don’t know. Maybe we should sleep on the question. Just try not to drool on the desk.
How often do you start to drag in the afternoon? What do you do to compensate?
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