Forget bonuses and incentives—what would really pump up the pulse of worker productivity is a nice afternoon nap. The UK Sleep Council called on the country's bosses to end nine-to-five working in favor of more flexible hours, citing the results of their global Internet survey that showed the Mediterranean siesta was the right idea all along. Forty-one percent of the 12,000 people who responded to the council's survey said they were most productive in the morning, while 38 percent said they hit their stride in the evening."The implication is that the majority are not fully alert in the middle of the day—the traditional time for a siesta in hot countries,?said sleep expert Dr. Chris Idzikowski."We must conclude from this survey that the traditional nine-to-five working day does not suit the majority." He suggested that allowing workers to follow their natural sleeping habits would actually benefit employers by allowing them to expand their working hours and be more productive.

　　别去想奖金和激励手段了——真正能提高员工效率的是一个香甜的午觉。英国睡眠委员会引证他们的全球网上调查结果，呼吁老板们用更灵活的时间安排取代朝九晚五的工作制度。该调查显示地中海地区的午休习惯一直以来都是一个好点子。回应该委员会调查的12000人中有41%认为自己在晨间效率最高，38%说他们状态最好的时候是在晚上。“这暗示着大部分人在午间都不够清醒——这在气候炎热的国家是传统的午睡时间，”睡眠专家克里斯·伊兹科斯基说。“从这次调查我们只能得出这样的结论：传统的朝九晚五工作制不适合大多数人。”他指出，允许员工遵循自然的睡眠习惯实际上对雇主有好处，这样员工能工作更长时间，工作也更有效率。

　　Remarks：我以为，从效率来说，“朝九晚五”可能的确已经落伍了，但作为一种特别的社交方式仍然有其意义——尤其在人际交流越来越少的今天。