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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that having a 'power nap' in the office is plain strange?

61 replies

GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 16:43

Suppliers visiting today at 1pm - has been arrange for ages.

Went to collect a colleague from his desk - he had his chin resting on his hand and was looking down. I thought he was deeply engrossed in reading a document on his desk or something.

His colleagues just looked at me and laughed. They said 'oh he's asleep. he has a powernap at lunchtimes. Just say his name gently and he will wake up'. My face must have been a picture and they pissed themselves.

He woke up all bleary eyed and I said 'do you need a coffee' in slightly acerbic tones.

So he went into the suppleir meeting all yawny.

I was slightly flabbergasted and mentioned it to my colleague - who got all self righteous and said 'he is perfcetly entightled to sleep in his lunch hour'. FFS it is in a great big open plan office with about 100 people in it!

Have I entered a strange parallel world?

OP posts:
NoahAndTheWhale · 03/02/2010 16:45

DH does sleep at work sometimes, but in his own office and it is due to his migraines. He doesn't do it very often, and wouldn't if he were about to have a meeting (at least I don't think he would).

He has occasionally had to go out of a meeting to be sick (again migraine related).

Don't remember anyone going to sleep when I worked (although some people looked close to it in some meetings )

ajandjjmum · 03/02/2010 16:48

I did when pregnant - that floor was so hard!!

JustMoon · 03/02/2010 16:48

I wish I could do that .

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 16:48

I have been an had a kip in the toilets whilsy hungover ill.

But not at my desk in full view of everyone.

OP posts:
LastTrainToGeneva · 03/02/2010 16:48

While I find the concept of someone sleeping with his head in his hands funny, I have to say that what he does in his lunch hour is up to him. If he wants to use his lunch hour to go to the gym, you wouldn't find it funny would you? It's supposed to be a time to recharge, so if this is his way of recharging, so be it.

Not good form to sleep minutes before a meeting though. Did he know he was supposed to be in a meeting at 1?

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 16:50

Yes - he knew he had the meeting planned, we have got them arranged all week, he is the technical lead.

OP posts:
Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 16:51

People do strange things here.

In the summer I went out - I walked past one blioke sunbathing in full speedos on the grass bank, and anotehr group of blokes had rigged up a volleyball net between two buildings and were playing volleyball - they gave me a filhty look as I drove between them and disturbed their game.

OP posts:
ShowOfHands · 03/02/2010 16:51

I did it whilst pregnant. Less an office, more a library though. In the summer I went outside and slept under a tree. DH does it too but due to migraines. Also does the nipping out to vomit thing.

It ain't hurting you and actually having a quick kip in the afternoon is very good for you and probably makes him more productive.

I had a nap in the food court of Meadowhell once when I had a headache.

emsyj · 03/02/2010 16:52

Why does it bother you? It used to be relatively common at my previous workplace for people to powernap. I couldn't do it, just not my thing, but people did.

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 16:53

Of course it doesn't bother me! I don't actually care, it is just odd imo. Especially as he went yawning and rubbing his eyes into a meeting and took a while to rev up.

Bless him though he did look very peaceful.

OP posts:
SerenityNowakaBleh · 03/02/2010 16:54

It's not strange, it's living the dream. I would love to be able to have a nap at work. Would really improve my day.

I used to do that style (head on hands) when I was a student in the library, but couldn't get away with it here. Sadly

bronze · 03/02/2010 16:54

Are you only allowed to powernap at your desk if you're high enough up to have your own office? Good on him I say theres lots of worse things he could be doing. Maybe the baby is keeping him up!

SerenityNowakaBleh · 03/02/2010 16:56

I personally think that there should be a nap room available for people. The spanish have the right idea with their siesta. It's genius. (I have actually been requesting a nap room for years, half joking, but it's not going to happen. Not til I have my own office).

wastingaway · 03/02/2010 17:00

What a great idea! Your workplace sounds fun. Why not play volleyball?

SOH, brave to nap in Meadowhell. Were you alone?

ImSoNotTelling · 03/02/2010 17:05

There was a whole thing in the papers a while ago about how powernaps were the new "thing" and loads of offices were going to have sleeping areas everywhere (yeah right).

I dozed at my desk a lot in the past, usually cos I had a hangover TBH. I had a friend who used to go and sleep on the bog, would set her mobile phone to go off in 20 mins.

My dad also has a sleep in his lunchbreak every day, has done for years (he has office with couch in) and has a siesta when at home.

Why not, I say.

emsyj · 03/02/2010 17:05

If not bothered by it, why speak to him in 'acerbic' tones?

V much hope that being sleepy in a meeting is not a sacking offence. I struggle to stay awake in most of the meetings I get sent to (even progressing as far as doing those head nod things sometimes). Can't nap on purpose at appropriate times though, disappointingly. Would if I could.

MrsC2010 · 03/02/2010 17:09

Many of my colleagues would have power naps at relevant interludes throughout the day back in my industry days, it made good sense. There were times I'd work 16-18 hr days, power naps meant I could survive. One company I worked for actually provided a quiet room with those tilting chairs that you get on ferries for this purpose.

southeastastra · 03/02/2010 17:11

one bloke fell asleep during one meeting i was chairing. was most put out

emsyj · 03/02/2010 17:14

A colleague of mine once fell asleep during a conference call. Obviously clients couldn't see him, but made it a bit awkward when questions were directed at him. He had a heavy workload and two very small children at home, so reckon that's forgiveable.

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 03/02/2010 17:14

emsyj - well, he was late for the meeting and looked at me all confuddled. So think a bit of acerbicity (is that a word? apols if not) was called for.

I don't really think it's bad, just a bit odd and have never seen it before.

OP posts:
thesecondcoming · 03/02/2010 17:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

moondog · 03/02/2010 17:23

'A BLOKE IN FULL sPEEDOS'

sURELY A contradiction in terms?>

RockbirdandHerSpork · 03/02/2010 17:23

Maybe he was shattered and the yawning version was 10 times better than the knackered version would have been? I sleep in the car sometimes at lunch time if I've had a rough night with dd and even 20 minutes makes me feel so much better.

SerenityNowakaBleh · 03/02/2010 17:28

Well, I know that a lot of City law firms have nap rooms (as they never let you go home), and the investment bank that my colleague used to work for had a rest room with beds in it, but it was mostly used for shagging, not napping.

nighbynight · 03/02/2010 17:32

I envy his courage sleeping in the office. I used to go and nap in the loos when I was pregnant, as could not stay awake.