Is it frowned upon or even unacceptable to take a nap or rest in office when feeling tired/sleepy? [duplicate]

Question

Generally speaking, is it acceptable to take a nap or rest (involving closing eyes) after lunch in software/technology companies in US (if it matters, in places on the two coasts, such as NYC, Bay areas in CA )?

If yes, how long is it acceptable to take a nap or rest? Half an hour?

The reason I mentioned US is because there are significant differences between different countries or cultures in the world. In some countries, taking a 3 hour break at noon for lunch and a nap is a norm.

There might even be significant differences between companies in US. I am asking about the consensus, and general/most cases, in particular when a company doesn't have explicit rules on the matter.

The book Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Judith Hanson Lasater suggested quite some restorative yoga poses to perform in office when feeling tired/sleepy. The following are simple poses:

• put your arms on your desk and rest your head in your arms, or

• lie back in a couch in a common area, and close your eyes,

• find an empty room such as an auditorium inside a company, sit there and close eyes.

There are more exaggerating poses than the above three simple ones, but not as exaggerating as regular yoga poses. They generally involve closing eyes and look like taking a rest or nap in various postures.

But I heard of a story that an intern in a software/technology company in NYC was filed a compliant against by someone unknown to HR for taking a post-lunch nap using either of the three above approaches. The intern was never reached formally for that matter any way.

If taking a nap is frowned upon or might risk being reported to HR by coworkers or managers,

• is closing eyes for 10 to 15 mins while sitting in one's own seat okay?

• how, where and when would you suggest to take a rest, without taking in caffeine and other unhealthy substances, if really feeling sleepy?

• How would you reduce the chance and time of feeling sleepy in office, without taking unhealthy substances?

Thanks.

Answer 1

So, being a little pedantic, the answer to your question is "no". I say that because you asked "generally speaking...". I answer "no" because there is no general cultural rule to draw from to answer your question. Some companies are perfectly fine with this, others are not. This is much like saying, "what's the dress code?" or "what's the software language a company uses" without knowing what company you're talking about.

I have seen many companies that are OK with napping, many others which are not. Some even set up nap rooms to encourage the behavior, others do not. Some allow it by policy, but then the peer culture is such that you're not tolerated by your coworkers if you take advantage of that corporate leniency.

Sometimes it's really counter to what you might expect from other cultural norms. I've seen companies that have a strict dress code and hours of business that are more lax on sleeping at your desk than others which let folks come and go as they please and wear whatever they want.

EDIT

I want to add a little more because my comment in another answer was edging out of comment territory and into answer territory.

I will argue that it's actually not just company specific, but also can depend on your role in the company (hourly, salaried, billable salaried, etc) and the kind of company it is (I know you said 'software', but there's a difference in approaches for, e.g. a game dev company, a small mobile startup, a corporate internal dev team for a non-software company, etc).

If you're being paid by the hour, or if your time is billable, then no you cannot nap while "on the clock". That said, I'm currently in a company where the developers are all salaried, but we log time worked against each project we're working on, and so if I decide to nap (or go for a workout or whatever) during the day, I'm simply not going to mark that time against a project.

Similarly, if you're pure salary, in my experience it's a rare salaried employee who only works 40 hours a week, unless your time is billable (see above) you generally don't clock in and out. In many cases you have the flexibility to work weird hours or from home, etc, and so there's even less of an issue for taking breaks during the day, etc, because you're being paid for delivering someting on time and to standard, how you get there is up to you.

As for the "kind" of company, it's related to the above, but also I find that the closer you are to green field or pure "design" work, the more understanding there is for the need to take breaks, let the creative juices recharge, talk about stuff over coffee to let your subconscious have a shot etc. If you're in pure bugfix mode, the perception (not necessarily the reality) is often that you're more likely able to just grind through it and get it done.

Answer 2

Generally speaking, taking a nap on the clock is frowned upon and basically fraud. If you bill someone for time worked, you should actually work.

What you do off the clock, in your break or before or after work is up to you. Just make sure that everybody knows you are off the clock, or people will suspect you are doing this on the clock.

If you are allowed to take your private, non-billable nap on company premises is a company-specific question. You will need to ask the specific company.

Answer 3

Is closing eyes for 10 to 15 mins while sitting in one's own seat okay? How, where and when would you suggest to take a rest, without taking in caffeine and other unhealthy substances, if really feeling sleepy. How would you reduce the chance and time of feeling sleepy in office, without taking unhealthy substances?

Answer #1) It depends upon the office. In my engineering office, you'd be ratted out almost immediately.

Answer #2) Again, in a rigid office like mine: Take leave. Break room. As your leave balance allows.

Answer #3) Get enough rest at home. Switch to a new job that's more engaging. Listen to energetic music that you like.

If you suspect you might have a medical issue, see a doctor.