To have a nap in my car during my lunch break?

[Solola]

I'm 7 months pregnant and started to get very tired in the afternoons. I have a 2yr old who is waking in the night currently so that is not helping. I found it helps me focus better in the afternoons if I have a 20min power nap in my lunch break. My boss recently called me in and said he is not happy about me sleeping in my car as it looks bad on the organisation I work for. He told me i can use the meeting room at work. Office is a converted house in a residential area and the meeting room is the only space where others can eat lunch and be away from their desks. I would feel very uncomfortable having the room closed off to colleagues so I can sleep. My car is parked down the road from the office and I bring a blanket and set an alarm so I don't overrun my lunch hour. I told him I hear what he said but am planning on continuing to take lunchtime naps. AIBU?

Can you drive to your local supermarket carpark instead?

YANBU.

Worked in a charity once where one pregnant worker slept on a pillow under her desk in a shared office (one room where 6 staff worked of both genders). Great woman. Great staff to not blink an eyelid.

Of course not. Actually, my colleague has just come back in to the office and said that this is what she has just done! She’s not pregnant either lol! Wish I’d thought of it tbh!

I think if its an unpaid lunchbreak then your boss cant really justfiy his complaint. Unless you are sleeping in a company branded car with or without company branded clothing being worn.

He is being daft. I sleep in my car on my lunch break and so do at least two of my colleagues.. none of us have kids, we just like napping 😂

I used to get the tube to work when I was pregnant. I would definitely have taken naps in my car if I'd driven! I remember 3rd trimester tiredness all too well.

I'm really confused as to what the problem is - in a very quiet residential street - very unlikely anyone would even watch me go to my car and sleep. Not any large supermarket car parks nearby but a great idea. Glad to hear from fellow carnappers!

yes I would. The office I used to work at had a shower room in the basement which nobody used. I used to go there at lunch time, lock the door, lie down on a wooden bench and cover myself with my winter coat. THat 20 minutes nap was absolute bliss. Never told my boss though.

When I used to work in a bingo hall we had a 2 hour unpaid break between shifts and we regularly used to sleep in the staff room. Lots of us did it, other staff would come and go and it didn't bother us. I don't think you're being unreasonable not to want to sleep in the staff areas though.

I used to do this, it was that or puke all over them all

Oh I love a car nap even when not pregnant.

How is it any of their business??

As long as you aren't parked right outside the office front door I can't see what the issue is? It is your lunch break. A person asleep in a car isn't exactly a socially inappropriate thing anyway??

Put dark sunglasses on then nobody can tell if you are sleeping or just sitting there. That’s what I used to do.

Your lunch break ,you do what you need to do OP!your boss is being a brat.

I did this towards the end of my pregnancy. Don't think anyone noticed. Come to think of it, I think at some point the occupational health nurse said I could use the first aid room for a nap if I wanted. Is there anywhere else you could go? Althouhh agree with PP, don't really get why your boss would have an issue with this unless your car has the company logo or something on it!

What you do in your own time is none of his business!

I'm dead jealous of people who can nap in their cars. I'd have lunchtime naps if I could.

I’d be going off sick!

Mmmmm carnaps

Not a company car, my own totally unremarkable car. I do sleep across back seat lying on my side so prob can't get away with sunglasses hiding the fact I'm asleep, but blanket covers most of me so not obviously pregnant either (he said he's worried they would look like a bad employer because I'm pregnant) Maybe I should create a sign to say 'sleeping in this car of my own free will'!! I would just cringe to have all my colleagues told they can't use the lunch room because I'm asleep inside. I snore too so even worse to have snoring noises emanating from the room!

Personally I think not allowing a pregnant employee to nap in her car on her unpaid lunchtime reflects badly on the company.

I napped in my car when pregnant. I used to count down the minutes and hours until lunchtime when I would drive my car to the remotest spot I could find in the hospital car park and get my head down for 40 minutes. I think your boss is being unreasonable. I remember this period of my life all too well!

PS Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

I think trying to prevent you from sleeping is the sign of a bad employer. He should care more about you as an individual and less about image. Typical that it’s a man ruffling feathers.

I’d be tempted to get some sort of sun visors for the windows and put a blanket over the front seats, to make a cosy little tent in the back seat, that nobody can spy inside.

Can you get the cardboard black outs to put across the windows and obscure the view?

Not that you should have to.

I’d be tempted to get some sort of sun visors for the windows and put a blanket over the front seats, to make a cosy little tent in the back seat, that nobody can spy inside.

I'm not pregnant but i'm doing this