Some firms add new parental benefit: sleep consultants

CHICAGO – From the start, Amy Evanko's son was a great sleeper. She'd gently place him in his crib, and he'd sail off to sleep.

So it came as a surprise when his younger sister wouldn't do the same. With the end of her maternity leave looming, Evanko knew she needed help.

"It's one thing when you don't have to get up and go to work, you can take a nap in the middle of the day," Evanko said. "But knowing I was going back to work and would need sleep was motivation to get her into a better situation."

She got help from an unexpected source: her employer. The customer service supervisor used a reimbursement from her company, Eileen Fisher, to hire a sleep consultant to help her daughter — and herself — get some rest.

Within a few weeks, Evanko's infant daughter went from waking every couple of hours, wanting to be nursed or held, to sleeping for six-hour stretches.

In recent years, as the labor market has improved and competition for workers has increased, many employers have broadened their benefits, offering everything from stocked kitchens and pet-friendly workplaces to longer maternity leaves. Now, some companies are paying for sleep consultants for parents, with the idea that a well-rested household is a win for workers and their employers.

Sleep consultants talk with parents and come up with step-by-step plans. They can cost anywhere from $200 for advice before a baby is born to thousands of dollars for nights of live-in help.

There's a reason employers are stepping up. Productivity losses due to fatigue and poor sleep can cost employers $1,967 per employee per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chicago-based PowerReviews began working with local sleep consultant Susie Parker a few years ago, allowing employees to get Parker's help for three weeks any time during a child's first year.

"We just thought sleep was so important, not only to the child but the parent," said Kira Meinzer, the company's former chief people officer, who implemented the program.

She came up with the idea after her own experiences with her twin boys several years ago. As babies, they often woke three times a night — each.

"I don't think people recognize the effect it has not only on your daily life but your work life. You can't think straight," Meinzer said.