I'm tired, sleepy, worn out. I could use a nap. A little doze to pick me up. And I'm certain I'm not alone.

In "Sleeping on the Job" in Bloomberg Businessweek, Jascha Hoffman profiles employers who are encouraging their employees to take naps at work, showing that a little sleep break can go a long way in increased productivity. 

"With Americans averaging fewer than seven hours of sleep per night—and around 20 percent suffering from sleepiness during the day, according to a recent Stanford University study—many companies have turned to the humble nap in an attempt to stave off billions in lost productivity each year," Hoffman wrote.

It's no secret that productivity is primarily the chief concern of any employer hell bent on making a profit. If someone can squeeze as much work out of as few employees as possible, that person will do it. Thing is, will he or she show a touch of humanity and acknowledge that humans are not all built the same or run on identical clocks? 

Writer S.E. Smith at This Ain't Livin' makes some great points about creating a work environment that takes into account different personalities—and sleep schedules—of employees.  

"...a lot of studies have demonstrated that sleep is variable, and that disrupting sleep schedules is actually rather harmful," Smith wrote. "People who do better when they sleep in have a hard time functioning in the morning. For students, it can be hard to learn. For workers, it can be hard to accomplish tasks, even things that are considered ‘basic’ or ‘simple.’ People who are forced to get up early aren’t ‘more productive’ because they wake up early, they are just annoyed and bitter and sometimes develop sleep disorders by trying to force their bodies to do things they don’t want to do."

Smith writes that workplace environments would need to be completely overhauled. 

"But maybe that would be a good thing to think about doing, because office environments are very unhealthy for many people," Smith wrote. "Implementing flex scheduling could save money and lost productivity in the long term by keeping employees healthier and happier. And, as I mentioned, it could even earn money, by providing more service at more hours of the day."

Over the next year, as it starts to become an employees' market, it will be interesting to see how many employers offer perks such as naps or flextime in order to keep their employees from leaving for more progressive—and productive—companies.