employee falling asleep in meetings

But that is just plain not true. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reportedly often falls asleep in department meetings and his staff are taking care of scheduling meetings for certain times of the day,. During long zoom meetings, especially when we worked from home in the pandemic, I cross stitched, which kept my brain active but not too busy to receive the information. This. YEP. I walk past ~75 of them to get to my area, it would be ridiculous to greet all or even most of them, especially since theyre not in my department. We had an employee with the same issue and she was counseled about it once. It is pretty normal to have to step up and cover a few extra things when someone takes PTO. But sleeping during meetings is not okay. thats why in proper agile development they emphasize the STAND UP part of stand up meetings, they should, ideally be a situation where youll get physically uncomfortable if youre there too long. question, but obviously plenty of them have specific business purposes? Based on the comments, it seems like they are more resentful that she gets so much time off, rather than how it affects their workload. Yes. I would be curious if there is a trend in this employee falling asleep more in the after lunch meetings than the 3 pm ones. You can read it here. Everything you say here is so important. I have narcolepsy and wasnt diagnosed until I was 35. Ive seen the same thing in Germany, though never with a group quite as big as that first time in France. Frankly this is embarrassing and I want to apologize to anyone working in retail, healthcare, construction, landscaping, any other physically or mentally exhausting jobs. Most adults need around 7-8 hours of sleep per night, but many of us regularly get less than that. Its so hard to get through to students that something apparently harmless like reading the newspaper is rude, conveys very clearly that you think the class is dull, and lowers engagement for everyone. Content of meeting aside: Of course the employee is tired in meetings occurring after a meal the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in to aid digestion, which creates a calming/restful state. That can cost a lot. I answer this question and three others over at Inc. today, where Im revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). If someone falls asleep during a standing meeting thats always at the same time it really can be a symptom of a medical problem. And if the issue is less of the fatigue or hypersomnia kind, and more of the I cant stay engaged and that makes me sleepy kind, it could still be due to a variety of neurodivergencies. Given that shes already telling people that shes going to zip through her four-plus weeks of PTO and then be gone multiple weeks at a time, it feels like the train is so far from the station that you cant call it back, but you also cant have a full-time employee working a part-time schedule. Hey, I know it not intentional but it is an issue and it also it reflects poorly on your professional reputation. Its staggering. I sought medical care. No. Between 2 and 4 Im half asleep. I definitely dozed off a few times. Thankfully, even my worst supervisorthe one who wanted me on a three-foot leash mounted ten feet in the airwasnt even *that* petty. He's not the only one. Medical conditions. Doodling is usually acceptable, because we can pretend it is note-taking. And of course classes have personalities, and they can be swayed by an influential student: a class with someone visibly performing inattention in the corner will be more inattentive and off-task overall, even if that one student is getting good grades. More expensive than it would be to ask meeting leaders/organizers to consider allowing others to access information in ways that are meaningful to (and more effective for) them. Im now treated with medications that help me stay awake and alert. update: how do I avoid mom energy with my younger employees? Ive had 3 jobs where Ive had to rise by 4 am to make it to work on time. I am *not* a morning person. In college my secondary major was math. The person falling asleep in meetings could have sleep apnea. Even then, it can take time and enduring some negative side effects to find treatment that works. After leaving school at 14 because he kept falling asleep . Just goes to show how different people are. I have sleep apnea. A review of the research by resume writing site LiveCareer shows that 39 percent of employees admit they have fallen asleep during work meetings . I think it can also be applied to comments related to social interactions with co-workers, jobs that cant be done from home, etc. Heres a radical ideaif you want me to remain engaged and conscious, let me work! What stands out to me in the letter is that the OP says they dont believe the employee has medical issues. More common are poor sleep habits, working too hard, not sleeping well, use of stimulants or medications.Or boring meetings! because there might be an employee whos tiered? I have ~200 people in my company. I recall a co-worker and whenever our team went out to lunch they would always have at least a few glasses of wine, then back in the office would be napping at their desk during the afternoon. Some people are really looks-ish, like my job :( Im glad you were allowed to use paperbacks. THE. At the second ever meeting of the group, he stopped mid-sentence to berate the only person in the group that was paying close attention to what he was saying, and was taking notes because she was using a note-taking phone app for that. In my defence, it was really warm and I wasnt well. In senior year I just needed 3 more credit hours to complete my degree. Privacy Policy and Affiliate Disclosures, pushy recruiter, sleepy employee, people eating at their desks, and more, my coworker keeps falling asleep at her desk, my boss is constantly texting and emailing during meetings. He has been very successful professionally. 2. No amount of caffeine helped; my brain just shut off & refused to function until I could get up & walk around. For years. (Yes I am being sarcastic. This is an example of one of those things where they pay you because its work. Its not like I suggested this person was shooting up heroin at lunch and then nodding off. Sometimes caffeine helps, sometimes it exacerbates the drowsiness. It sounds like this is the only employee whos falling asleep. I know how annoying meetings that could be emails are, but not everyone absorbs info the same way. But it never occurred to me that I did til that one sentence revolutionized my life. I said no phones! Dont know what ended up happening to that group, I never went back. I dunno, I just really really wish that people would stop thinking that they can know if someone has a disability without asking. Diagnosis and treatment have been life-changing. We are talking about someone who actually falls asleep. It is not realistic to expect people to give their full attention to a meeting for even a half-hour, unless they are actively participating in the meeting. So many tests, bouncing around different physicians (who may or may not be well-versed in sleep medicine), the expense of it all, its an ordeal and a half! That sounds really early to me, which just goes to show that you cant find a time that works for everyone. I said nothing about entertaining associates during meetings. If someone is not able to tolerate meetings longer than 30 minutes to the level that they fall asleep, then they are not compatible with a lot of jobs just like my horrible eyesight and my lack of physical stamina excludes a lot of carreers for me. You are supposed to listen to the information being shared, contribute as appropriate, react in the meeting when necessary, and process it so you can act on it later? Does the sleepy employee need to be there? Her job doesnt stop just because she is not there and it is very unfair to expect her co-workers to pick up the slack during her long absences. His solution was to take a study hall, and use it to take a nap. I finished around 1 pm, then took a series of busses back to campus to attend evening classes, then start my late job, and repeat the cycle. The intersection of exhaustion and boredom is often involuntary dozing, especially if the environment is oriented that way. It's important to understand why you are feeling sleepy in your meetings in order to figure out the best way of avoiding it in the future. Removed. Yeah, even if youre not developing diabetes, post-lunch sleepiness from higher blood sugar is definitely a thing. Theres never a great time for information- heavy, discussion-lite meetings, but those two times are added soporifics. Why do we get so sleepy and nod off during meetings? This clearly shows that dozing off during meetings is a serious problem. If you dont have a serious medical condition this is something you can control and in any reasonable workplace will be expected to. At the very least, I can let my boss know I will have to stand if I feel a particular meeting may lead to a sleep attack. My project leader falls asleep in our meetings. Alison asks that we dont armchair diagnose peoples problems (even though that seems to come up in nearly every comment section anyway in situations like this), so we cant know whether this person has a medical issue or not, but its entirely possible that let her know this Is A Serious Issue I Mean It might make a difference. I was extremely lucky that when I went to my PCP about my sleepiness after my boss suggested I may have sleep apnea, she listened to me when I said no, Im not depressed. I feel like Im losing my mind here. I wonder whether assuming this employee really is good enough they want to keep her despite her not really wanting this to be a full-time job this would be a good situation in which to hire a temp to cover the extra work. Back in high school I lived across the street from the school and went home for lunch. also, all people absorb information differently. The human brain and human behind can tolerate extended, tedious meetings for only so long. If so, thats a case where you should talk to the employee and find out if theres something wrong. Im off the anti depressants and mood stabilizer; off the anti-anxiety meds (turned out, when I feel anxious I am sleepy). Then menopause came calling and I wake up numerous times during the night, and went through a period where some days I HAD to take a nap during the work day. you have to be flexible. The employee here is a women; I would bet the LW is male. For some people, alcohol makes them sleepy. Indeed. Sleep disorders are hard. Its rough that the only solution presented here is ask her to do better in staying awake, because she probably cant control it. (Theres typically been a powerpoint presentation, that couldve been emailed or posted on sharepoint.) In jobs that require coverage, unpaid time off (for recreation) should be limited, unless the workers who are covering volunteer and are compensated. I dont think you need to offer suggestions but indicating you are open to hearing if she needs something from you to resolve it. It got worse. Ive tried sleeping more, eating healthier, more coffee, more exerciseit was still a problem. And it didnt help. Of course you cant just ban afternoon meetings. AFiban irregular heartbeatis one problem cause by sleep apnea. Cut your employee some slack and for the love of rest, afternoon meetings are wretched for many people. This! What would you do if an employee fell asleep during a meeting? It got better after a few weeks as I learned more context. In 25 years Ive seen someone fall asleep in a meeting maybe twice. For the sleepy coworker: I was treated for depression for years. Is that possible? I need to be doing something. I was wondering the same. Your poor comparison notwithstanding, no, an employer cannot fix those things. That not only had I been misdiagnosed for literal decades, but the treatment had been exacerbating the problem. When I was at my worst pre-diagnosis, I just kept being told how lazy I was and that I just needed to try harder. I am in early menopause and I am now an official insomniac and it is horrible. As long as shes trying to respond to suggestions and getting work done, assume best intentions on her end, too. Why? As I dont see a complaint from OP that anyone else is falling asleep in these meetings though, I am fairly convinced its not a universal problem but some issue of the employee and then its on her to explain that she would be tremendously helped by having the meetings at a different time or being able to bring her knitting or having the temperature lower / higher or whatever. Interesting. I find that it helps if I am able to get up and get water or coffee at the back of the room, or if we stand up and stretch during the meeting, or get up and get into groups to solve problems. Thank you, Sola Lingua! Product #: gm817533758 $12.00 iStock In stock They may be trying to figure it out and still be years away from an answer and thus official accomodations, even if its medical. If youre working half time, youre usually working 20 hours a week. I do not think we have the information to say if these are a good use of staff time or not, despite some commenters seeming very confident that they must not be. Its actually seen as rude not to. Here we are earnestly discussing the importance of appearing to be awake while sitting in a chair being droned at for an hour. For me, definitely not. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free vector art that features Boredom graphics available for quick and easy download. We have it right in our employee handbook that its summary termination. Should they block off 9-11 too, since a lot of people will eat breakfast around 8? I agree, I found it perfectly clear. Ok, look, I have nothing against making sure that meetings take place when there is a need, are functional and when appropriate, interactive. Heyhey, I am currently in a middle of a two-week long seminar and I am having great trouble staying awake, hence I resort to various distractions like scribbling doodles all over the notepad or editing pics on the laptop. I used to quietly stand in a lot of meetings. Employees are should be required to be engaged in meetings no matter how boring or unnecessary they think they are. This question gave me a chuckle. Forget falling asleep at my desk (which became a daily struggle); there were times my nail beds would turn blue. It was my boss saying You need to fix this- could it be a medical issue? that made me finally go to a doctor. Then continued to work throughout the meeting. But Im still likely to have a I need a nap now feeling mid afternoon. That I wasnt as good at being a human as others were. Here are some tips that can help you from dozing off during the final of too many meetings of the day. I always tell people up front that I may need to stand for a bit (without a specified reason) and I try to sit near the back if I can. I was so bored and I was not allowed to do anything to keep myself awake except to drink a beverage. Have any of you accidentally dozed off during a seminar, meeting or trhaaining session ? See also noone can be expected to think on their feet in a job interview, making occasional pleasant chit chat with your coworkers is too much to ask and not everyone can eat sandwiches. Sure, some meetings are boring and should have been an email. Sometimes you have to engage in a reply all chain when you feel like a meeting would be more efficient. An employee who doesnt need the job and can come & go as she pleases must have some influence in the company that makes management unwilling to tell her no. Primarily affects teenage boysyou dont happen to be one of my Kleine-Levin Syndrome brethren, do you? Making her part time seems like the obvious solution. Be very careful with the sleeping issue. Many causes: That can be a sign of a sleep problem called narcolepsy, which causes sudden "sleeping" during day activities and needs treatment. If it is medical and theyve not been getting help for it, sometimes the wake up call that the problem is escalating can be the motivation they need to seek help. The LW gets to keep a good employee on terms the employee is willing to take, and the semi-vacancy can be filled.

Sip Call Flow Examples, Georgetown Malaysia Apartments For Rent, Section 7 Football Standings, West Hills Primary School, Articles E