Thursday, September 27, 2007

Sleepy at work?

My friend Karen used to take little cat naps at work, and although I think she had persuaded her secretary to prevent anyone bursting into her office unexpectedly, I was sure one day the phone would ring and she'd be calling to say she'd been busted! I was and am horrified at the idea of sleeping in public (or quasi public) but she was very calm about it also napped at the library when we were at Duke. She tells a funny story about a male stranger gently waking her up in Perkins - she thought he was being thoughtful and considerate - but it turned out he needed the reserve book she had fallen asleep upon and was trying to extract it without disturbing her. Waking up suddenly and trying to recover her dignity, she tried to present him with the book graciously, only to discover, quite mortified, that there was a small puddle of drool on the open page.

How do you like the sound of this product to facilitate napping at work? "I came up with the idea for my company while working at Deutsche Bank in New York — I saw colleagues falling asleep at their desks and even sneaking off to the bathroom to take naps," says a rested looking Arshad Chowdhury, founder of New York based MetroNaps, a company that aims to enhance workplace productivity through enabling employees to nap in a futuristic looking device called the Energy Pod.

Back in the day when I took clients to lunch a lot, I was surprised that those who had a glass or two of wine could stay so alert afterwards when we went back to their offices. Or maybe I overestimate my persuasive skills and they were just too tired to negotiate with me! Now, I am happy to say my new office just a few yards away from unlimited hot water and a Coke machine so I can rely on caffeine when needed. They offer what is known as a Flavia Drink Station and all the English Breakfast one can drink... I am curious whether the founder is a fan, like me, of The Prisoner of Zenda but it does not go into detail on the website.

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