An Aussie bed manufacturer has taken employee wellbeing to a whole new level by allowing staff to each take home an expensive gift.
It is not unusual for employers to boost staff productivity and wellbeing through small tokens of appreciation.
Usually this is something like a free lunch or a Friday afternoon early mark – but one Aussie company has gone above and beyond to ensure its employees are coming to work feeling happy and refreshed.
Queensland adjustable bed manufacturer Solace Sleep has gifted many of its staff a brand new mattress – retailing for about $6000 – to ensure they get quality sleep.
CEO of Solace Sleep, Darren Nelson, said he wanted his employees to be able to go home after work and get a good night’s sleep.
Speaking to news.com.au, he said the idea to offer staff new beds came about after having conversations with employees about their own sleep.
“The fact that we’re in a sleep business, it makes perfect sense that we’ve got to practice what we preach. We recognise how valuable sleep (is) and we recognise the fact that if you don’t get enough sleep you’re not going to perform at your best,” Mr Nelson said.
“When we started having conversations with the staff and they started reaching out with us as well, we realised that we need to do something about it.”
The majority of staff at the Sunshine Coast basted company are now sleeping on a Solace Sleep bed, meaning the company has gifted more than $100,000 in mattresses to employees.
Mr Nelson said the response from staff has been overwhelmingly positive.
When asking one employee how he feels about his new bed, the staff member said, like with any new therapeutic product it takes time to get used to, but now he loves it.
“It’s relieving all his pins and needles off his shoulders. Because if you are uncomfortable, i.e. pressure on your body somewhere, you will toss and turn all night and if you toss and turn all night, you just don’t get into a deep enough sleep,” Mr Nelson said.
“So by relieving that pressure point, we’ve allowed him to get into a deeper sleep. And obviously, he’s fairly happy.”
Solace Sleep’s move follows the release of new data showing four in 10 Australians are not getting enough sleep.
The report from the Sleep Health Foundation found 7.4 million Australians frequently suffered from inadequate sleep in the 2016-17 financial year, with sleep deprivation linked to more than 3000 deaths during that same period.
Sleep deprivation also comes with a significant financial strain, with the total cost of inadequate sleep estimated to be $66.3 billion for 2016-17.
This includes health system costs, productivity losses, informal care costs, and loss of wellbeing costs.
“Improving the nation’s sleep health requires encouraging and enabling behavioural change
and increased awareness of adequate sleep practices and sleep disorders,” the report stated.
“A concerted national approach is required where inadequate sleep is seen as the vast, varied and costly problem that it is, and addressed by influencing behavioural change and increasing
awareness of sleep conditions and their treatment.”
The report noted that, while creating effective change in Australia’s sleep health will take time, doing so will help reduce the wide-reaching negative impacts inadequate sleep currently has on the country.
Originally published as Aussie bed manufacturer’s wild $100k gift to employees
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