Workplace Challenges

'Sleepworking' phenomenon

Some might consider it their worst nightmare: completing work-related tasks in their dreams, a phenomenon that's been dubbed "sleepworking."
[ 2008-02-13 ]

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(Comstock)

But others are making the most of the hours they are clocking in their sleep. In a recent survey, more than half of the respondents said work becomes a focus of their dreams, and nearly 70% of those people said they solve a problem or have a revelation about their jobs while they are sleeping.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing to dream about our jobs," said Robert Stickgold, an associate professor or psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "Your brain is calculating what it needs to be paying attention to, and dreams become effective for problem solving. But if work is all you're dreaming about, then it's obsessional, which is a problem."

The Staples National Small Business Survey also found that 72% of respondents make business calls while driving and nearly 40% say they get their best ideas behind the wheel.

CUBICLE CUPID


Fewer people will be looking to a nearby cubicle for a valentine this year.


About a third of U.S. workers said they would consider having a workplace romance, a number that has steadily declined from 42% three years ago, according to a recent survey.

The poll found that 30% were hesitant to date a co-worker for fear it would jeopardize their job security or advancement.



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