My project leader falls asleep in our meetings. I tend to just stand up from my desk and go See yall tomorrow to whoevers around. I think you have to have a chat with the traveler and let he know that due to coverage and workload constraints you cant approve the extra unpaid days this year. 1. This may be a heat/cold thing in general as I keep my heater at 62 during the day and 60 at night (and, yes, cold perks me up). Before we get into some sneaky secrets you can use to keep your eyes open during a meeting, it is good to understand things that might cause us to fall asleep during a meeting. She might view the unlimited unpaid time off as the factor that makes the job worthwhile; other employees might be absolutely wedded to other benefits that to you dont seem worth quitting over. I would throw little paper balls at him to wake him (which he was totally fine with; we were buddies). (Yes I am being sarcastic. Those things make sense to keep in mind. A review of the research by resume writing site LiveCareer shows that 39 percent of employees admit they have fallen asleep during work meetings . All these are pretty inappropriate for OP to suggest though. I suppose its an office culture thing, but I wouldnt discourage people new to the working world to not acknowledge coworkers. Did it almost daily! - Quora Answer (1 of 9): Many years ago, in the early 1980s, I had an early morning meeting scheduled with one of my fellow software engineers. This has nothing to do with actual effectiveness, of course. If Im in a warm environment with little ability to move, Im going to snooze despite my best efforts. When Lisa Stephenson started falling asleep in board meetings she put it down to the tiredness of juggling her hectic life. It got better after a few weeks as I learned more context. If youre working half time, youre usually working 20 hours a week. I dont fall asleep, but my mind just wanders and I usually end up mentally drafting an email or thinking through my grocery list. Elise Keith, founder of Lucid Meetings, a US-based meeting coaching company, says that while time preferences may vary among individuals, research indicates that some. 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 can give the meeting as much of my brain as it requires, while having something to occupy the rest. Lectures are not an engaging or particularly effective way to disseminate information. To add a question: is there a reason this meeting has to be just post- lunch or during the mid- afternoon doldrums? 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. In jobs that require coverage, unpaid time off (for recreation) should be limited, unless the workers who are covering volunteer and are compensated. I had a summer class in college that was really interesting, taught by a grad assistant I adored, but it was held in an extremely stuffy classroom right after lunch. Between 2 and 4 Im half asleep. As someone said above, it sounds more like the others assume all her time off is PTO. He took the cowards way out. It made it so my body could never get accustomed to warm weather, either. People dont get this. A stuffy, unventilated meeting room doesnt help either. As it turned out, I am a diabetic and probably have been for years. Being engaged also doesnt help; Ill fall asleep in the middle of something I love doing if Im getting a sleep attack to the point where Ill pull over if Im driving or close up chemicals if Im cleaning or crafting. And in a dangerous manner. I have a hard time not yawning and getting droopy eyelids when I have to sit still for more than about 15 minutes. I was so bored and I was not allowed to do anything to keep myself awake except to drink a beverage. I wrote a Glassdoor review and the employer is losing their minds, updates: we had to share our shadow sides and be more vulnerable at a meeting, and more, lets discuss terrible workplace ice-breakers, how do I stop looking bored during meetings, should I say Im leaving because of my horrible coworker, and more, my bosss boss forced us to do a grievance circle targeting our manager. Hm. You never know. I worked with a guy that did it with great intention. The joys of having ADHD and learning how to hack it. Became a legend in the school. Then continued to work throughout the meeting. Though I think people who proudly proclaim they dont need the job or the money are bound to cause discontent. Honestly, pre-pandemic, my current workplace cut down on meeting-napping by a lot when everyone started bringing their laptops into the meetings, explaining that they had to stay connected to their clients, end users, etc. If youre not picking up in it: stop having general meetings, period. Yeah, snacking on stuff or tapping my feet never has helped me once the sleepiness sets in. 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. More common are poor sleep habits, working too hard, not sleeping well, use of stimulants or medications.Or boring meetings! . but all of this would be inappropriate to share with an employee, even more so than telling someone to drink coffee. Thats how sure I didnt have it- but I very much did. What stands out to me in the letter is that the OP says they dont believe the employee has medical issues. Its not helpful or appropriate to speculate on the employees health. I have recently been doing some professional education on supporting neurodivergent people in the workplace, and one recommendation is that at the start of meetings, it makes sense to encourage people to do whatever they need to do to stay comfortable and engaged in the meeting, whether thats moving around, doodling, taking a bathroom break, etc., without feeling like they need to speak up and get permission to do so. I know people will argue you can just put more layers on, but I was wearing sweaters and blankets in the summer, and I cant type with gloves on. Either bump her officially down to part time or have a parting of the ways, but dont make everyone else pick up the slack for a supposed full-time employee working part-time hours. The reality of meetings is sometimes theyre not exactly when each attendee would personally have chosen. I used to cough at my desk to rouse him a bit. OP1 is so tough. The reasons so many people struggle are varied but include: sitting still for extended periods Now its happier, though I still have a hard time with what is normal and what I should expect of myself/what regular people are capable of. The bank director was working 70 hour weeks and flying between her. And if the person taking unlimited time is doing so in a way that causes others requests to not be prioritized, thats a much more significant problem, as youre going to lose others on your team, and not just this person. On your side it felt like a one-time accommodation; on her side it felt like everyone at work acknowledging that more time off was fine so long as she was fine with it being unpaid, which she is. However, there's also something extra challenging about meetings that can cause people to nod off. It was a little mind boggling to me on my first business trip to France. I am sure this employee is not falling asleep AT the OP. Its very likely the sleepy coworker is MORTIFIED by falling asleep in meetings, but literally cannot keep it from happening. However, very few of my coworkers know the full story, because I dont talk publicly about having this condition for a lot of reasons (none of which I want to debate, thank you). It might be time to dust off the policy handbook and make some changes. my new employee fell asleep in a meeting by Alison Green on April 5, 2023 A reader writes: I have a new employee who started this week. 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. Slept in his car at lunch too. I don't believe she has any medical condition that would cause this, and I don't see her dozing off at other times. 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. what are the best jobs while youre in school? If there is a medical issue that needs accommodation, then she can bring it up. It is not in any way useful or anything you can put on your resume, but is somehow an important skill in the corporate world. This employee should get tested for sleep apnea. I was able to stop nodding off once I graduated and went to full-time work there. Ive been this person pre-pandemic and I got yelled at for it all the time. Other times, something I think is fairly inconsequential will generate 10 min or more of spirited discussion. 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. We had an employee with the same issue and she was counseled about it once. If you do it involuntarily, you understand that its not ideal but it happens, and you try to use strategies to avoid it. I used to say I could win the Sleeping Olympics, but no, I have a medical disorder. Doodling is usually acceptable, because we can pretend it is note-taking. Right on! Interesting. Im asking because every place Ive ever worked, people do this. The person falling asleep in meetings could have sleep apnea. This has happened pretty regularly in staff meetings, but I've now noticed it in our project meetings, which have been for a couple hours each day lately. If you dont, its difficult to imagine that it *could* be involuntary, and so you assume the person is doing it on purpose and being unprofessional. On the flip side, I absolutely say hi to my row when I settle in, but even then its Morning everyone! and not Morning Sally, Sue, Caterina, Wakeen. Anderson suggested that if an employee with a sleep disorder or medical condition routinely nods off in meetings, managers may want to let him or her record the gatherings and fill in the gaps. This is because 1) We work flexible hours, and these are the hours when the most people are online 2) We also span multiple timezones, so theres no avoiding lunchtime and 3) some roles have a ton of meetings and we need to take what we can get (and they prefer doing their casual meetings during lunch, rather than client meetings where they really shouldnt be eating). how can I get better at spotting talent in people different than me? A leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings. Ive had two eye surgeries and my eyes are light sensitive so when I am in a bright room I sometimes have to close my eyes or west sunglasses no joke. This is an example of one of those things where they pay you because its work. I dont know if this person has a sleep disorder. Get up and walk around. My labs were normal. I used to have this problem. If someone cannot handle meetings, its on them to find a job that is light on meetings. I have ~200 people in my company. So, he went in every day, sat at the back of the class, put his head down and went to sleep. This is not on employers to fix.. I use that code to this day. More recently, I fell asleep in several different meetings due to undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea. Im ADHD and when I get bored, I find ways to entertain myself. It was witnessed by other people so its not just me. If people are falling asleep, theyre not having a meeting, theyre attending a lecture. I definitely dozed off a few times. I dont know. A recent Ergoflex sleep survey of about 2,000 people found that more than 20 per cent of employees have fallen asleep on the job including in a work meeting. Or see a doctor if that doesnt work. My new employee fell asleep in a meeting I have a new employee who started this week. All this time, I thought I was the only onebut thats exactly how I describe it for myself. Right? In a conversation, I'll strive to "stay awake" so that I'm not unconscionably rude. I once had him count how many times a boss said, Essentially. The right time. Hear, hear! Solidarity. Many of us with invisible conditions have experienced some form of shaming for it, especially around being lazy or not having willpower. At my last company, we were only allowed to take a couple of weeks of unpaid time off.. maybe it was just a week, but I know it wasnt more than two weeks. She will probably be mortified when you bring it up. you have to engage your employees. A few questions Are the meetings relevant? Sometimes caffeine helps, sometimes it exacerbates the drowsiness. Even the fact that its only during this meeting that the employee falls asleep doesnt mean its not due to a medical condition. This sounds to me like proper management is lacking for this group of secretaries, or the company in general. I cant say for sure but I think getting into the habit of getting enough sleep throughout the pandemic wfh time has conditioned me to get more sleep at night in general and Im more rested for the day. I knew to offer it as an option because its what I do myself in meetings. Pour a cup of coffee and figure it out. Even if they cut her hours in half, people would still need to cover for her when she was gone.
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