Working (and Napping) Across Time Zones

Bearaby makes weighted blankets to help its customers sleep better. To help its employees at all hours, the company embraces a flexible schedule that celebrates snoozing.

- By Stephanie Schomer

At Bearaby, it is totally acceptable to sleep on the job. The weighted-blanket startup—which saw revenue soar to more than $21 million in 2020 as consumers looked for ways to de-stress during the pandemic—is built upon a culture of “sleep wellness.” Bearaby’s 20-plus employees, who are scattered across the globe, are encouraged to take naps throughout the day and, in part, set their own hours. Teams commit to an overlapping three hours of collaborative work time each day, and staffers can select when to complete the rest of their duties, boosting productivity for night owls and early birds alike. Here’s how that flexibility got a global team through a year of working at home.

KATHRIN HAMM (left) / founder and CEO, Dubai

“Adapting to a work-from-home lifestyle was rather seamless for us as a company. Having a set of core working hours provides a framework where we can map out our key initiatives together and delegate tasks accordingly. We’ve created unity by taking time to show our appreciation for each other, running quarterly team contests where staff nominate a Bearabuddy in recognition of their work.”

EDUARDO ARCE CHINCARO (center) /chief operations officer, Dubai