Burned-out employee frustrated over company’s new $50k “wellness pods” purchase, after company refuses to hire new staff to lighten their employees' heavy workload, instead demanding they take a nap and get back to work: 'They sell it like it’s a benefit'

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Nov 22, 2025 9:00 AM EST

The wellness craze has washed over our generation like a tidal wave. Powerfully present. Looking calm at first, but then suddenly it was the only thing that surrounded us. It's been inserted into our drinks, our workouts, the even the way we read and write. They tell us, 'If you're feeling overwhelmed, grab your journal,'  or about how their 'Life has changed since I started meditating each morning.' …Endless techniques and methods, yet not entirely the perfect problem solver for everyone!

The moment that 'wellness living' starts to get controversial is when my peace is used as an excuse to avoid productivity, or in this case, do the exact opposite! This understaffed company refuses to hire new staff to take the heavy load off their current employees' shoulders…but instead, they decided to invest that money into buying $50k 'wellness pods' for their overworked, exhausted employees, to take a quick 20-minute nap in and get back to work! Their excuse is that it's beneficial, but we know that it's truly just a cop-out to continue taking advantage of their staff's time, energy, and productivity!

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  • The most annoying part is, we can already predict how their ‘little naps’ will be some manipulation tactic, to see who ‘gives up’ the quickest. The wellness and corporate world just don't gel, and we're not entirely sure it was ever meant to. Work is for the office, and sleep is for our homes, let's keep it that way…

  • Woman stressed in a wellness sleeping pod
    via Tomáš Malík

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My company installed “wellness pods” instead of hiring more staff

    So my company just installed "wellness pods" these little sleep/meditation capsules you can crawl into when you're burnt out.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • They made this big announcement like it's the next innovative perk. Here's the kicker: we're burned out because they refuse to hire more people.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • We're understaffed, constantly stretched thin and now instead of fixing the actual problem they spent $50k on high tech nap coffins so we can recharge and get back to the grind.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • was taking a somoke in my balcony earlier and couldn't stop thinking about how dystopian it is.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • Like "hey we know we're working you to exhaustion so here's a place to shut your eyes for 20 minutes before we send you right back into it" This is what corporate wellness has become: sleep at work so we can work more.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • Tired woman at her desk
    via charliepix

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • And they sell it like it's a benefit. Unreal.
    via VillainousRepublic
  • Armchair Doorknob Just watch, they're going to end up using these pods against the employees (nobody should even touch them) after paying 50k when NOBODY asked for them, but no, hiring more employees was out of the question. Fuck these companies.
    via ArmchairDoorknob
  • Live-Neat5426 Our CEO graced us with soundproof booths to cry in when he RTO'd us. I'm not even joking.
    via Live-Neat5426
  • Garrden This kind of a weird expense screams corruption to me. I wonder who's the manufacturer of those pods, and whether company management have a stake in ownership.
    via Garrden
  • Cosmicshimmer Just a minor step away from workhouses again. Live and work at home!
    via Cosmicshimmer
  • scobeavs Sorry boss I spent the whole day in the pod and am still not well. Gonna have to try again tomorrow.
    via scobeavs
  • yorcharturoqro Im telling someone's else's anecdote. This person used to work for a bank in the call center, they had this beautiful spaces, like beds, gardens and stuff for them to not burnout, the architecture firm created a beautiful building, impressive, human first... But the bank forbid employees to use all those facilities, you needed a special permission, never granted, and you where limited to 3 bathroom breaks of 5 minutes, and 30 minutes lunch. Not a single employee has seen the garde
    via yorcharturoqro
  • Woman sleeping with a mask
    via gettyimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • winterbird Ew, laying where my gross coworkers have laid...
    via winterbird
  • Fun General_6407 I heard of a company installing such pods in a publically viewable glass walled room. I recall someone saying, "behold, our most fireable employee"...
    via Fun_General_6407
  • Starfury_42 The Wellness Pod is where you should be updating your resume and applying to other jobs. The best time to look for a job is while you currently have one.
    via Starfury_42
  • ValuedQuayle Those things freak me out. Absolutely not crawling into a glorified coffin to relax, breathe in other people's germs and stale farty air. No thank you. Just let people have time off so they don't go crazy, it isn't that complicated. But that would involve real money.
    via ValuedQuayle
  • ReaverRogue Them: "okay guys we hear you're burnt out and feeling undervalued! What can we do to help?" Us: "wages rising in line with inflation, extra holiday, and hire more people to help with this workload." Them: did somebody say lukewarm slices of pizza, relaxation coffins, and a gratitude email?!
    via ReaverRogue
  • deanolavorto Cause wellness pods are a one time payment.
    via deanolavorto
  • UseWhatever They're probably going to track who uses those pods and how often. Use them too often and expect to be flagged for a PIP
    via UseWhatever
  • mikew137 "Now you don't actually have to ever leave!!"
    via mikew137
  • ph30nix01 I think it's time to teach people how to sue for failure of fiduciary responsibility by showing the costs of "bad management" that is currently disguised as costs savings.
    via ph30nix01

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boss antiwork workplace-stories employee work-drama drama work coworkers work-load wellness askreddit hire pods napping colleague workplace Reddit employment
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