Most of us finding a colleague asleep at work would probably make a quip about laziness. Yet some companies take a very different stance on workplace napping.

At its Geneva offices, Procter & Gamble, the consumer products group, has three EnergyPods, which resemble loungers with a space-age half-dome wrapped over the headrest, made by a company called Metronaps.

“The pods are designed to provide users with a quick recharge that can help maximise the rejuvenating effects of a brief nap,” Metronaps says. “This, in turn, helps users do more with their day from both a professional and personal point of view.” The pods have proved very popular, especially with sleep-deprived employees such as those with young children and frequent business travellers.

Cisco Systems' new North Carolina offices boast a pair of pods too. “We're interested in employee wellbeing,” explains Kirsten Weeks, community relations manager. The technology company has a variety of ways for people to recharge their batteries, she explains. “One of these is napping. Employees power-nap [for about 15 to 20 minutes] and come out refreshed...you can set the pod to vibrate to wake you up.”

Other businesses that have installed EnergyPods include PwC and Google.

Companies are encouraging 40 winks, explains Metronaps co-founder Christopher Lindholst, because it “improves alertness, mood and makes you more productive and reduces stress”. Health, he says, has three pillars – exercise, nutrition and sleep – and, while companies have traditionally taken an interest in the first two, they are only just waking up to the last.

“Sleep pods provide a feeling of security,” Mr Lindholst says. “People feel that the outside won't bother them. You have a visor that blocks out light and music plays in the unit.” He adds that 15-20 minutes is ideal as it refreshes you but does not send you into the deep rapid-eye-movement sleep that leaves you feeling groggy afterwards.

Metronaps are not the only pods in town. Lee McCormack is the UK designer of a new pod called the Oculas OV2 that completely encloses the user. “A lot of businesses, especially in the US, have shown interest in it as a relaxation area around the concept of wellbeing,” he explains. “It's not just sleep, it can be light therapy, relaxation, or time for reflection or meditation. In today's open-plan world, we sometimes need to put ourselves in a place where we can shut the world out.”

The business power-nap is not confined to offices. It is a popular fixture of airport lounges too, several of which already have pods. Others, such as Malaysia Airlines' golden lounge in Kuala Lumpur, even go as far as having several small sleeping rooms off the main lounge: “Tired business and first-class travellers can have a short refreshing sleep, either before, after or between flights,” explains Guy Moreau, the company's UK and Ireland marketing manager. “They're a popular facility.”

William Anthony, a professor in rehabilitation sciences at Boston University and author of The Art of Napping at Work, welcomes the arrival of sleep pods at work.

如果发现有同事在上班时睡觉，我们中的大多数人可能都会嘲笑他们的懒惰。然而有些公司对在工作场合打盹采取了迥然不同的态度。

消费品集团宝洁(P&G)的日内瓦办公室有3台EnergyPod。这种设备类似躺椅，头枕部位包裹着像宇航服头盔似的半球体，由一家名为Metronaps的公司制造。

“这些‘豆荚'的设计是为了让使用者迅速恢复体能，有助于实现短暂午休恢复精力的最佳效果，”Metronaps表示。“这反过来又能帮助使用者实现更高的效率，不论是从职业的角度还是从个人的角度。”事实证明，这些豆荚十分受员工欢迎，尤其是那些因为家里有小孩或经常出差而睡眠不足的员工。

思科系统(Cisco Systems)在北卡罗来纳州的新办公室也有两台豆荚。“我们很关心员工的福祉，”社区关系经理柯斯汀•维克斯(Kirsten Weeks)解释道。她表示，这家科技公司有多种方式让员工恢复体能。“其中之一就是小憩。员工们小睡（15至20分钟），出来后精神焕发……你可以对豆荚进行设置，通过振动将你唤醒。”

其它安装了EnergyPod的公司包括普华永道(PwC)和谷歌(Google)。

Metronaps的联席创始人克里斯多夫•林德霍斯特(Christopher Lindholst)表示，许多公司都在鼓励员工小憩，因为这“能提高机敏度，改善情绪，提高率，减低压力”。他表示，健康有三大支柱——锻炼、营养和睡眠——过去公司通常只关注前两项，如今它们刚刚开始意识到最后一项的重要性。

“睡眠豆荚提供了一种安全感，”林德霍斯特表示。“人们觉得外部环境不会打扰他们。有一块面板会遮住光线，里面播放着音乐。”他补充称，15至20分钟的小憩最为理想，因为它能够使你恢复精力，但又不会让你进入深度的快速眼动(REM)睡眠状态，让你醒来后感到头晕。

Metrionaps的豆荚不是英国惟一的豆荚。英国设计师李•麦考马克(Lee McCormack)设计了一种名为Oculas OV2的新型豆荚，它将使用者完全包裹起来。“许多公司，特别是在美国，都对它表示出了兴趣，将其视为符合福祉概念的放松区域，”他解释道。“这不仅可以用于睡眠，还能用作轻度的心理治疗、放松或是进行反省或冥想。在当今世界，办公室往往采用开放式设计，我们有时需要呆在一个可以将世界关在门外的地方。”

商务小憩用具并不仅限于办公室。它也是机场休息厅备受欢迎的设备，其中一些已经安装了豆荚。其它休息厅，例如马来西亚航空(Malaysia Airlines)设在吉隆坡的金色休息大厅，甚至在主休息厅外还设有几间小睡眠室。“疲倦的商务舱和头等舱旅客可以在飞机起飞前后或转机期间在此小憩一下，”马来西亚航空英国和爱尔兰营销经理盖伊•莫罗(Guy Moreau)表示，“它们很受欢迎。”

波士顿大学(Boston University)康复学教授威廉•安东尼(William Anthony)对这种工作时间使用的睡椅表示欢迎。安东尼是《上班时间小憩的艺术》(The Art of Napping at Work)一书的作者。

然而，他警告称，一些公司采用这种办法并不表明工作狂文化的灭亡。实际上，他表示，西班牙和拉美国家午睡的传统可能已经过时：“这种传统可能丧失，因为他们接受了更具英美风格的一天24小时一周7天的工作模式。”无论如何，午睡正在争取自己的地盘：在英国，6月25日是第三个全国午睡提醒日。

安东尼表示，尽管睡椅和专门的睡眠室有利于午睡，但实际上，它们并非必需：它更多的是文化问题。

“如果某人想小憩一下，他们可以公开进行，也可以秘密进行，”他表示。“小憩者很有创造力。你可以看见他们把套头衫放在办公桌上，然后趴在上面睡觉；也可以看见他们出去，到停车场里的汽车上小憩；他们甚至还会去卫生间里小睡。”他表示，现在需要的，是一项午睡政策。“多数雇主不允许员工睡觉——现在仍存在这种偏见。睡觉被视为懒惰和效率低下，事实通常恰恰相反。”

他认为，解决办法在于雇主要挑战这一文化，坚持认为午睡与工间休息同等重要。他表示，多数小憩者不需要高科技的睡眠解决方案：“他们只需要得到许可。你只要对他们说‘如果你想在休息时间小睡一下，你就睡吧，这不会影响你的名誉或工作'。”