At WHOOP, we use data to make informed decisions about our business and our bodies. Since every member of the company wears and uses our technology, we’re empowered to approach the days and months ahead thoughtfully.
Today WHOOP rolled out a new policy whereby if a WHOOP team member wakes up with a Red Recovery they are asked to Work From Home. A Red Recovery on WHOOP signals that their body is run down. That could mean that they are getting sick: We have seen WHOOP data predict that an individual has sickness or illness before they feel symptoms. That could also mean that their body is more susceptible to getting sick. Either way, it’s in our team’s best interest and their personal best interest if they Work From Home until they are no longer in the Red.
Science also tells us that getting more sleep boosts your immune system1. We know that consistent sleep is a critical driver of health and readiness to perform in work and in life. We also know that “sleep need” varies by person and by day, and our technology measures both sleep need and actual sleep better than any other wearable device2. So in the spirit of making our team healthier with WHOOP, we are rewarding our employees $100 per month when they average 85% of their personal sleep need or more. It’s one thing to say get more sleep, but it’s another thing to actually pay your team to get more sleep. Team members follow their progress together on a team leaderboard. I encourage other CEOs and leaders to think about adopting a similar policy for their companies.
I believe these are responsible policies to ensure that the people coming to work are as healthy as possible. These are uncertain times ahead given the Coronavirus and its remarkable ability to spread. We may get to a place where everyone works from home (and that could be as early as next week). Today the best policy for WHOOP is the Red Recovery Policy and an incentive program to increase sleep.
