Ind: How enterprise capital of Spain found siestas are good for business
Apr 2nd 2005 | 3:45 pm
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Ind: How enterprise capital of Spain found siestas are good for business
How enterprise capital of Spain found siestas are good for business
By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
The Independent
03 April 2005
Businesses in Spain have struggled to match their idiosyncratic hours
with the rest of Europe, but the siesta refuses to lie down. Now
employers in Catalonia, Spain's most entrepreneurial region and out of
step with the rest of the nation in that respect, have bowed to the
inevitable and accepted the lunchtime snooze as part of the working
day.
"A short rest after lunch at work could soon become the norm," observed
the hard-nosed organ of Catalan capital, La Vanguardia, this week. The
siesta is to join gyms, creches, libraries and language classes as
office perks once resisted by employers, but now welcomed as a way of
motivating workers.
Research worldwide reveals that professional productivity improves
among those who nap after lunch, La Vanguardia notes. Studies confirm
what any office worker knows, that between 2pm and 4pm you feel a
little sluggish. Accordingly, one of Spain's most successful companies,
the Catalan-based MRW courier service, has installed reclining chairs
in its offices, both in Barcelona and Madrid, into which employees may
slump, with the additional offer of a soothing massage.
Francisco Loscos, professor at Barcelona's Esade business school, said:
"Companies want their people to be as motivated as possible; so, many
invest in everything to promote the happiness and relaxation of their
workers, and that includes the siesta."
Cutting-edge Catalonia has rehabilitated an ancient practice for the
hi-tech age. It was an entrepreneurial Catalan who, some years back,
founded a nationwide string of shops where you can walk in and "buy" a
30-minute siesta and massage.
"We noticed that many people came in after lunch for a massage, but
they really wanted a siesta. They just drifted off," said Marina Egea,
manager of a Barcelona branch of "Masajes a 1,000" - named in pre-euro
days when a massage cost 1,000 pesetas, or about £4. Today, €4 buys
you a half-hour siesta.
The Spanish working day can be gruellingly long. "Morning" lasts until
2pm or even 3pm (which Spaniards call "midday") before a break for
lunch. It's unusual to return to work before 5pm, but many stay until
7pm or 8pm. It's hardly surprising that some doze off, or risk their
health and safety by stumbling on half asleep.
"We sleep about an hour less every day than the average European, which
is dangerous," says Fernando Buqueras y Bach, of a Spanish citizens'
advice group. Spaniards have high rates of accidents on the road, at
home and at work. Now sleep-starved Spaniards may at last justify their
siesta as not only a mark of civilisation, but a boost to the nation's
economy.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe...p?story=625903
By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
The Independent
03 April 2005
Businesses in Spain have struggled to match their idiosyncratic hours
with the rest of Europe, but the siesta refuses to lie down. Now
employers in Catalonia, Spain's most entrepreneurial region and out of
step with the rest of the nation in that respect, have bowed to the
inevitable and accepted the lunchtime snooze as part of the working
day.
"A short rest after lunch at work could soon become the norm," observed
the hard-nosed organ of Catalan capital, La Vanguardia, this week. The
siesta is to join gyms, creches, libraries and language classes as
office perks once resisted by employers, but now welcomed as a way of
motivating workers.
Research worldwide reveals that professional productivity improves
among those who nap after lunch, La Vanguardia notes. Studies confirm
what any office worker knows, that between 2pm and 4pm you feel a
little sluggish. Accordingly, one of Spain's most successful companies,
the Catalan-based MRW courier service, has installed reclining chairs
in its offices, both in Barcelona and Madrid, into which employees may
slump, with the additional offer of a soothing massage.
Francisco Loscos, professor at Barcelona's Esade business school, said:
"Companies want their people to be as motivated as possible; so, many
invest in everything to promote the happiness and relaxation of their
workers, and that includes the siesta."
Cutting-edge Catalonia has rehabilitated an ancient practice for the
hi-tech age. It was an entrepreneurial Catalan who, some years back,
founded a nationwide string of shops where you can walk in and "buy" a
30-minute siesta and massage.
"We noticed that many people came in after lunch for a massage, but
they really wanted a siesta. They just drifted off," said Marina Egea,
manager of a Barcelona branch of "Masajes a 1,000" - named in pre-euro
days when a massage cost 1,000 pesetas, or about £4. Today, €4 buys
you a half-hour siesta.
The Spanish working day can be gruellingly long. "Morning" lasts until
2pm or even 3pm (which Spaniards call "midday") before a break for
lunch. It's unusual to return to work before 5pm, but many stay until
7pm or 8pm. It's hardly surprising that some doze off, or risk their
health and safety by stumbling on half asleep.
"We sleep about an hour less every day than the average European, which
is dangerous," says Fernando Buqueras y Bach, of a Spanish citizens'
advice group. Spaniards have high rates of accidents on the road, at
home and at work. Now sleep-starved Spaniards may at last justify their
siesta as not only a mark of civilisation, but a boost to the nation's
economy.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe...p?story=625903
