Why this chief executive is paying his employees to sleep more

A chief executive in the United States has decided to pay his employees more if they get a good night’s sleep in order to create a healthier, happier workplace.

Mark Bertolini, the chief executive of healthcare insurance company Aetna, told US network CNBC his business makes more money when employees are well-rested.

“Being present in the workplace and making better decisions has a lot to do with our business fundamentals,” Bertolini said.

“You can’t be prepared if you’re half-asleep.”

With this in mind, Bertolini recently introduced a policy where employees will receive a cash bonus if they show they are getting a good night’s rest.

One of the ways the business measures this is by looking at data from employee’s Fitbit devices.

“If they can prove they get 20 nights of sleep for seven hours of more in a row, we will give them $25 a night, up [to] $500 a year,” Bertolini said.

“If we can make … business fundamentals better by investing in our people, then that’s going to show up in our revenue. It’s going to show up in our bottom line … quarter after quarter, year after year.”

A good night’s sleep isn’t just for employees

According to Sam Bashiry, co-founder of Smart50 finalist Broadband Solutions, a quality sleep is not just important for employees, but business owners too.

“Whilst it isn’t always realistic to get to bed at the same time every night, it is important to know when to shut off,” Bashiry wrote in an article for SmartCompany.

“If you’re going to survive the long haul you’re going to need quality sleep so you need to learn to put down the phone, and step away from the computer to let your mind and body relax.”

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