Look out for crocodiles in your office

Crocodiles, bottlenose dolphins and other aquatic mammals are not the only ones who can be literally half asleep. Research shows we experience this, too.

A person is either asleep as characterized by slow-wave activity or awake but not simultaneously. Yet some birds and aquatic mammals display the remarkable phenomenon of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep: one half of their brain is awake, including an open eye, and the other half shows the electrical signatures of sleep. In humans it is known as the unihemispheric sleep disorder.

Although it is most likely a protective mechanism, enabling the animal to fly or swim and monitor its environment for threats with one hemisphere while the other gets some rest. But this phenomenon seems terrifying for managers and employers if a good proportion of their own staff are sitting in their office with only half their brain functioning keeping an eye on anyone catching them out.

It was reported that more than half of Singapore businesses have staff who are physically present but "mentally absent" from their job which would give any employer or manager heebie-jeebies.

It is time to truly engage your employees if they are suffering from this unihemispheric sleep disorder. Help them to perform at their best and not let them pass their days at work in some zombie like state. Here are 5 simple ways to address this:

A lot of time and money is invested by the employer to recruit talent. Another lump sum amount of time is spent in their training. So beware of the crocodiles who lurk in your office to avoid drain down of your company’s productivity. 

Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sleeping-with-half-a-brain/