Sleeping at work

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a patient care tech in a hospital in Alabama. I work night shift and on Monday around 5.30am I slept off for a moment and the charge nurse saw me. She reported me to the manager and I was called off work for two days. On third day I was asked to meet them at HR. This is my first offence since I started working there in March. Will this be a warning or outright sack? I work too hard and I really like my job.

Am going to meet them in about three hours and I don't know what to expect. HR means sack right? They dont issue warning letter I HR? Should I implicate other of my co workers because they all sleep at night shift even if is for ten seconds.

HR means my defense doesn't matter anymore,, anything to remedy this situation.

Thank you all

I am a patient care tech in a hospital in Alabama. I work night shift and on Monday around 5.30am I slept off for a moment and the charge nurse saw me. She reported me to the manager and I was called off work for two days. On third day I was asked to meet them at HR. This is my first offence since I started working there in March. Will this be a warning or outright sack? I work too hard and I really like my job.

Am going to meet them in about three hours and I don't know what to expect. HR means sack right? They dont issue warning letter I HR? Should I implicate other of my co workers because they all sleep at night shift even if is for ten seconds.

HR means my defense doesn't matter anymore,, anything to remedy this situation.

Thank you all

Sleeping on the job certainly is a fireable offense. The fact that you haven't been back to work since then is also not a good sign. I would anticipate being fired, although there's no way to be sure until your meeting with HR.

Implicating others won't help your case. You are no longer an an employee in good standing and you are not a supervisor for the other offending employees.

If this is the end and you do end up moving on, consider your work ethic when awake. The fact that you were reported and are being treated so formally after one offense can be telling. Someone with a reputation for being agreeable and "on top of things" would typically have faults like this one overlooked (if a one-time thing). It's possible that one or more people see you as "lazy" or "disagreeable" and you just gave them the ammunition they needed to get rid of you.

Sleeping on the clock is grounds for immediate termination at my place of employment and it's clearly an offense that warrants some kind of disciplinary action at yours. What could your "defense" possibly be? There isn't one. Be an adult and live with the consequences of your actions.

'Implicating coworkers' will do nothing to save you; why would you want to try to take others down with you? Trust that if they're doing the wrong thing, they'll eventually get caught (if they're not smart enough to learn from whatever happens to you).

Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
I am a patient care tech in a hospital in Alabama. I work night shift and on Monday around 5.30am I slept off for a moment and the charge nurse saw me. She reported me to the manager and I was called off work for two days. On third day I was asked to meet them at HR. This is my first offence since I started working there in March. Will this be a warning or outright sack? I work too hard and I really like my job.

Am going to meet them in about three hours and I don't know what to expect. HR means sack right? They dont issue warning letter I HR? Should I implicate other of my co workers because they all sleep at night shift even if is for ten seconds.

HR means my defense doesn't matter anymore,, anything to remedy this situation.

Thank you all

I don't know what is going to happen with HR because I don't know the policies of your facility. However, I do want to know what you expect to accomplish by reporting your co-workers? It won't change the outcome. Nor should it. However, what it will do is make you look bad and it's a small world. Your best bet is too keep your mouth shut about your co-workers and concern yourself only with your affairs.

BTW: At my facility, falling asleep at work is considered a never event. Especially in patient care areas. I wish you luck

"Giving the appearance of sleeping" can be grounds for immediate dismissal in many facilities.

As charge nurse during many night shifts, I saw some staff nod off. I never reported them, it is a human thing to do. If they were a good worker in general, I would let it go.

I do think you are about to be fired. You have no defense.

Onward and upward...better things await you.

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Did the meeting happen yet? How did it go?

If you lose/lost your job, just take this experience and learn from it. Think about, like others have said... WHY your supervisor would want to report you after just one incidence of nodding off. Take a strong look at your work ethic.

YOU are responsible for keeping yourself awake at night. Yeah, it's easy to nod off, but you have to remember this experience and come up with ways to stay awake! Coffee and moving around work for me.

Take responsibility for this episode. Learn from it. Then move on. Good luck!! :)

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Please update us. Good luck.

Just finished with the meeting with my manager and HR. I was terminated immediately. I have never had any write up or any disciplinary action against me, I agree to work when people bail, and for ten second of sleep by 5.30am when I have round up my shift, I was terminated.

I was asked to write a letter of appeal which I have done, I had no defence but a plea for them to look at my impeccable track record and reinstate me. Is a long short but am really tired . no warning, no suspension just immediate termination.

My only source of income, the only job I have enjoyed doing since after law school has just being taking away in a second.

I have other job interview next week but theybr an hour away from me. I may have to relocate cos where I stay have only two hospital and I want to work in a hospital.

Thank you all for listening, I didn't say anything about my co workers, i just bursted out in tears as they gave me my letter of termination.

Just finished with the meeting with my manager and HR. I was terminated immediately. I have never had any write up or any disciplinary action against me, I agree to work when people bail, and for ten second of sleep by 5.30am when I have round up my shift, I was terminated.

I was asked to write a letter of appeal which I have done, I had no defence but a plea for them to look at my impeccable track record and reinstate me. Is a long short but am really tired . no warning, no suspension just immediate termination.

My only source of income, the only job I have enjoyed doing since after law school has just being taking away in a second.

I have other job interview next week but theybr an hour away from me. I may have to relocate cos where I stay have only two hospital and I want to work in a hospital.

Thank you all for listening, I didn't say anything about my co workers, i just bursted out in tears as they gave me my letter of termination.

Well, that's a justifiable but harsh outcome for a first offense. I wish you luck with your appeal and/or finding new employment.

Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

It's done now. Have a good cry or two - this is really a hard thing to go through - but you can move on and do well. You did well with your job up to this point, and you can do it again.

Good luck.

Just finished with the meeting with my manager and HR. I was terminated immediately. I have never had any write up or any disciplinary action against me, I agree to work when people bail, and for ten second of sleep by 5.30am when I have round up my shift, I was terminated.

I was asked to write a letter of appeal which I have done, I had no defence but a plea for them to look at my impeccable track record and reinstate me. Is a long short but am really tired . no warning, no suspension just immediate termination.

My only source of income, the only job I have enjoyed doing since after law school has just being taking away in a second.

I have other job interview next week but theybr an hour away from me. I may have to relocate cos where I stay have only two hospital and I want to work in a hospital.

Thank you all for listening, I didn't say anything about my co workers, i just bursted out in tears as they gave me my letter of termination.

This is an example of zero tolerance. It makes it a no brainer for the powers that be. They do not have to THINK about the situation , or take any other factors into consideration.

And they get the big bucks, for NOT thinking!

Best of luck in your new endeavors. If I were were you, I would stay away from hospitals, and do private duty through an agency.

Well, that's a justifiable but harsh outcome for a first offense. I wish you luck with your appeal and/or finding new employment.

It is NOT justifiable, the powers that be do not give a rat's patooty to investigate the issue and remediate the problem. They are just canning a good worker, because we are ALL expendable.

Corporate masters , doing what they do best.

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