Need an excuse to hit the snooze button? The life of a student and an employee can be very much similar in a way if they are sleep deprived. Taking naps during office hours is indeed an irritating sight for many bosses. This is quite normal, but this CEO is paying his employees to sleep.
It’s the CEO of Aetna company and his name is Mark Bertolini. CEO Mark Bertolini implemented the program last year, aiming to help employees improve their focus and productivity at work. Here is what you should know about his sleep program.
In an interview given to CNBC, according to him, sleep is really important. “Being present in the workplace and making better decisions has a lot to do with our business fundamentals. You can’t be prepared if you’re half-asleep” he said.
In order to earn bigger profits via this ‘good night sleep’ scheme, he promises his employees to pay them extra money. The deal is simple: If employees can prove that they’re getting at least seven hours of sleep per night for 20 nights in a row, using a fitness tracker, they begin earn to $25 per night. The program caps out at $500 per year.
The National Institute of Health recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but many don’t reach that goal. A report from McKinsey & Company Insights pointed out that 43% of 196 business leaders surveyed reported not getting enough rest at least four nights a week.
“If we can make business fundamentals better by investing in our people, then that’s going to show up in our revenue. It’s going to show up in our bottom line and the Street’s confidence that we can do it quarter, after quarter, after quarter; year after year.” the CEO continued.
In a sleep survey, 47% of the respondents say that their organizations expect them to be too responsive to emails and phone calls. Around 43% claim that they don’t get enough sleep at least four nights a week. Nearly 6 out of 10 claims that they don’t sleep enough at least three nights a week.
In addition to the sleep program, Bertolini started offering free yoga sessions to his 50,000 employees, a practice he personally follows to reduce stress. In order to keep a track on their program, the company has collaborated with the Duke University to study the effectiveness of the firm’s wellness program, which includes better sleep information, yoga, and meditation.
If they perform better, then their hard work will definitely show up in the company’s revenue charts.