BENGALURU: Rajarshi Chattopadhyay’s typical day included getting to work and focussing on finishing his tasks without really taking a break. If he did, it was to grab a cup of coffee prior to a meeting. This, until his startup RentoMojo, a consumer leasing business, introduced nap rooms where Chattopadhyay, a product manager, catches 40 winks for at least 20 minutes every day. “Otherwise, the first few hours seemed exciting, but as the day progressed, stress and fatigue took over, increasing anxiety and exasperation, which impacted the quality of work. Now, my naps have helped me get back to my desk, rejuvenated with a better thought flow and engagement with my colleagues,” says the 28-year-old.
Recognising hectic work schedules and fast-paced lives, an increasing number of firms, like Cloudnine Hospital and Zinnov, a management consulting firm, are introducing nap rooms to boost productivity. Cloudnine Hospital, Old Airport Road, has introduced this concept on a pilot basis for duty doctors and registrars since they have to stay at the hospital for extensive hours. “Their work is stressful and they need to relax in the short time they get between operations and patient care. The idea is to reduce their stress and increase alertness,” says Nitin Nag, Regional Director (South), Cloudnine Group of Hospitals.
The idea is allowing employees to unwind, relax and return spirited, points out Geetansh Bamania, CEO and founder, RentoMojo. “Stress and fatigue hampers productivity and impacts physical and mental wellbeing. Taking short naps has been shown to help. A relaxed body and mind enables employees to be productive, without even realising it. We now see a more enthusiastic team, even at the end of the day, and that’s what matters,” he says.
Nap rooms are carefully designed, usually in light colours and include facilities such as a refrigerator, bed light and diffusers. “We have also included elements like air-purifying plants and colouring books,” Bamania says.
According to Wakefit, an online mattress company, which has designed some nap rooms across the city, along with designer Plavita from Plavi Design Studios, Indians are the second-most sleep-deprived people in the world. Their pan-India survey found that over 86 per cent of people were keen on nap rooms at the workplace, to help them improve efficiency. “Over the years, a lot has been discussed around stress and work-life balance but very little has been done to address the issue,” says Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, director and co-founder, Wakefit.co.
During the designing of the room, Ramalingegowda says elements such as spinal alignment, temperature management, preferred alarm tones, soothing colour palette and right lumina of light have been looked into.