“This is how we get people back to the office.”
Ever find yourself accidentally drifting off to sleep at work? Just stand inside this windowless box and take a power nap really quick!
Two companies in Japan have unveiled a “nap box” designed to encourage a healthier office culture for white-collar workers doing long hours.
One company director said: “There are a lot of people who will lock themselves up in the bathroom for a while to nap, which I don’t think is healthy.”
The device, which resembles a sleek water heater, will support worker heads, knees and rears so that they will not fall over.
The plan is to install the boxes in offices so that workers can take short power naps throughout the day without also laying down.
Designers hope the boxes will help address Japan’s strict office culture which sees nearly one quarter of companies require employees to work more than 80 hours of overtime each month.
Sleepiness at work is so bad, reports say Japan has a special word (“inemuri”) for people who take naps to make it through long work days.
Another director said: “People tend to work continuously with no breaks and we are hoping companies use this as a more flexible approach.”
The box is designed by Itoki in collaboration with Koyoju Gohan, with neither company deciding on the boxes’ pricing and availability
People took to Twitter the other night to poke fun at the nap boxes, with one user joking, “This is how we get people back to the office.”
