Biglaw Firm Encourages Associates To Sleep During Working Hours
Justice never sleeps... except at this firm.
(Photo via MetroNaps)
If you’re an associate at a large law firm, it goes without saying that you’re probably tired — extremely tired. There’s only so much that coffee can do for you after all of the late nights and all-nighters you’ve had to pull. If your firm allowed you to sleep on the job, would you do it?
One firm is offering its attorneys the ability to do so with “energy pods,” and at $13,000 a piece, it’s surprising that this perk is still being offered considering associates were the ones to ask for them, but apparently haven’t been using them.
Which firm is encouraging its associates to take naps at work? It’s White & Case, and Francis Vasquez Jr., the partner who worked with associates to bring these marvels of modern technology to the firm, has tried the napping pods out for himself. “It’s like ‘Wow, I’m refreshed,'” he said after using one of the pods before starting his day. Kudos to Vasquez and White & Case for attempting to assist its sleep-deprived associates with a brief respite at the office.
Here’s more information on the associate nappers from the Am Law Daily:
The models White & Case bought are manufactured by MetroNaps, a New York-based company that sells “the world’s first chair designed for napping in the workplace,” as its website touts. Think of them as lounge chairs with a dome or “privacy visor.” You can listen to “relaxation rhythms” provided by the machine or drift off to your own tunes in cozy seclusion. After 20 minutes, the pod gently nudges you awake with vibrations and soft lights. …
Other businesses that use MetroNaps’ “corporate fatigue management solutions” include Google Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. The company has been around for 10 years, but only “a handful” of law firms have been customers, said CEO Christopher Lindholst, who holds a master’s in business from Columbia University. The other law firms are small, he said, and he declined to provide their names. “It’s not been a significant vertical for us,” he said.
If your firm is unwilling to purchase a pod for $13,000, there are other options. For only $1,995 down and $160 a month, your office can lease a napping pod to help associates be more productive and feel more satisfied with their jobs.
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Even though Biglaw firms seem like the perfect places to install “corporate fatigue management solutions” like energy pods, some partners don’t want to pay their associates for catching much-needed zzzs when they could be billing. While many Biglaw firms claim to fully support work/life balance initiatives, they’d rather associates do their life balancing — and sleeping — at home.
Has your firm installed napping pods? If not, do you think your firm allow you to be asleep on the job? Contact us via email, text message (646-820-8477), Twitter, or Facebook. Sleep tight (and don’t let the office bed bugs bite)!
Napping Pods: One Firm’s Solution for Tired Lawyers [Am Law Daily]
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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