What are feather bedders?

Featherbedders, also called bed warmers, were people hired specifically to get into a cold bed ahead of time and warm it with their body heat. Historically, it was common for beds in Europe and North America to have feather mattresses. Although a feather mattress offered excellent insulation and comfort, it would take a long time to warm up sufficiently for people accustomed to sleeping in much colder temperatures. Featherbedders would lie in the bed until the owner was ready to retire, at which point they would quickly jump out and allow the owner to enter a pleasantly warmed bed.

As the name implies, featherbedders were often employed in households with higher incomes that could afford such a luxury. For obvious reasons, it could be considered an awkward or uncomfortable job, although it appears that featherbedders were relatively well-compensated for their efforts.

While featherbedding is largely obsolete in modern times, the term "featherbedding" survives as a derogatory term for unnecessary work, employment, or rules that keep jobs that produce little to no value at all. "Featherbedding" is often associated with labor contracts or policies that mandate that extra staff members be put on payroll for tasks that may not actually require them.