Longer breaks could mitigate some effects of extreme weather due to the climate crisis
I will confess that my sleepy heart sang when I read the news that the National Trust would be introducing siestas for its staff. My people, I thought. A French friend of mine notes that Britain is one of the only countries where it is acceptable to withdraw socially for “a lie down” simply because you’re tired of company, but the working day, in its punishing Protestantism, is a different matter. Part of my dislike of offices, aside from them being the enemy of creativity for anyone who needs peace in which to work, is that there are never enough places to nap.
Naturally, I’ll be met with accusations of laziness for even saying this. We are in the middle of a tedious and strung-out debate about work and flexibility, and a disturbing number of people seem to have Stockholm syndrome. Only yesterday I read a piece in Fortune magazine entitled: “Want to work 9-to-5? Good luck building a career”. The concept of work/life balance has “become emblematic of a woke work environment – one that acknowledges that an employee base is composed of actual humans, often with spouses, children and outside interests”, said the writer. God forbid!