In an effort to boost employee productivity, more companies are now formally encouraging their employees to nap during the workday — in some cases, even providing designated areas meant for employee napping. Nike and Google are among those leading the charge in this area.

For a long time, encouraging “sleeping on the job” would have been considered counter-intuitive to productivity. However, a growing body of research indicates that productivity increases as people are better-rested. A recent Stanford study suggests that Americans average fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night (far fewer than are recommended to be both healthy and productive), and around 20 percent of Americans suffer from sleepiness during the day. As a result, companies in aggregate can save several billions of dollars per year.

In many cases, people report to work without receiving the proper amount of sleep the night before, and this actually hurts their overall productivity and ability to focus on the tasks at hand. The causes of sleep deprivation and fatigue are complex and manifold: sleep-related disorders like insomnia, family-issues (e.g., feeding schedules of babies and young children), commuting, excessive recreation on “work-nights,” and the compounding nature of being both overworked and overstressed at the office.

Take for example, the following scenario: If an employee works for 7 hours and naps for one during the middle of the day, then that employee may very well get more accomplished — and the quality of work may improve — versus someone who works for a full 8 hours per day but is over-tired. Also consider the physiological reality that many employees feel fatigued in the afternoon hours after lunch — and this could serve as a perfect time for companies to offer their employees a much-needed siesta.

Many progressive and forward-thinking companies have already begun to encourage on-the-job napping. It could very well be that these companies stand to gain a tangible competitive advantage in the future as their employees become more productive on a day-to-day basis. Also consider that in a day and age where employees (specifically younger ones) care about corporate culture more than ever, companies who have on-the-job napping policies and/or novel office space that accommodates relaxation stand to attract more and better talent in the long-term.

Most importantly, will friends and family members become jealous of one another over policies like this? I don’t know too many people that would argue with a workplace napping policy — or who would not resent those around them who benefited from such policies! Picture the benefits package of the future: 401(k) matching, gym memberships, generous group health and dental plans, on-site childcare facilities…and of course, a state-of-the-art napping facility! It’s already starting to happen…