Sir Richard Branson Caught A Worker Sleeping And Had This To Say.

It’s a common occurrence that most workers fall asleep at work and this could be embarrassing if you get caught. Same can’t be said of employers, though.

Most employees have been sacked for sleeping on duty but when an employer decides to make fun out of the embarrassing situation by posing for pictures with a dozing worker, that’s real humor.

Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, did just that on a visit to Virgin Australia offices according to HRGrapevine.

“There were certainly smiles, and laughter, all round at Virgin Australia. I popped into the office and the airport to say hello and check in to see what the team are up to. This guy wasn’t up to much at all – I caught him sleeping on the job!

“Wow, did he get a shock when I woke him up. He must have thought he was dreaming because he went straight back to sleep.

“To be fair, he was on standby, getting some much needed rest”, he wrote in his blog on Virgin.com. 

Luckily for the sleepy staff, his sin was forgiven because Sir Richard understands we’re all humans. The boss has also used the incident as one reference point in a Reddit Q&A that “we should all [look after our body].”

Truly, it’s an undeniable fact that most workers have fallen asleep at their places of work at one point or the other. A recent poll conducted by interior design company Hillarys found that 15% of Brits have taken a nap at work.

Fiona Kerr, a Neural and Systems Complexity Specialist at the University of Adelaide, tells Daily Mail: “A nap is like a shower for your brain. It’s about taking the pieces we have to juggle all of the time, and putting them down for a minute.

“Naps are good for people because they serve as a ‘cleaning the inbox’ function.

“If you have regular naps, you will store, retain and recall information faster and more effectively.”

Funny: Don’t forget these excuses if you work in an environment where sleeping on duty isn’t allowed.

At BrightHR naps are actively encouraged. “We are passionate about the importance of fun and play at work, and believe this is key to productivity and creativity,” their Co-Founder and CMO, Paul Harris, says. “From day one we always wanted our office to be a really engaging place for the team to enjoy.

“We have a 50 foot long Jack and the Beanstalk Garden themed breakout space with bean bags, football nets, space hoppers and NERF guns, and we actively encourage the team to use these throughout the course of their day. Introducing a bed seemed like a good next step to make the team feel relaxed and take some time out away from their desks.

“It is therefore important to educate on the power of sleep and the positive effect this has on productivity.”

Would you, as an employer, permit your workers to take a nap at work?