Care home employee gets to work an hour early, protests when management tells him to clock in instead of napping: 'I'm still tired'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 22, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Is there any scenario where it's OK to sleep at work?

In any workplace, we all have to adhere to certain standards of professionalism. Some of these are sensible and reasonable, and others are pretty dumb, but unless they are directly infringing on our workers' rights, part of having a job is dealing with these kinds of rules.

One obvious example of this is that there are certain behaviors that we should probably keep at home. There are plenty of white-collar workers who spend a lot of time on their work computers doing things that are more recreational than professional, but you can see why that is probably going to be frowned on by management. Most office-type jobs that aren't WFH are not going to be happy if you rock up in a pair of old sweatpants. Also, while we all need our sleep to function, no boss wants to stumble upon an employee who is dozing on or off the clock.

There is no denying that there are times during many workdays when a quick nap can be tempting. However, the middle of a workplace is, generally speaking, not an appropriate place for that. Not unless you have your own private office, anyway.

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  • A representation of a man mopping a floor in an institutional setting
    via Yunus Tuğ (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a man mopping a floor in an institutional setting

  • An employee who had been working for several years in a care home as a floor technician found himself in a predicament when it came to getting to work. He had to carpool with his mom, which meant arriving at his workplace at least an hour before he was due to clock in.

    He saw this extra hour as an opportunity to take a nap in a room where he wasn't likely to be disturbed. He didn't see the problem with it, but after a few months, the department head told him he should be clocking in instead of sleeping. He wasn't happy with this solution.

  • My boss said I can't come early and sleep at my work place until it's time to clock in

    I've been working at a nursing home for 4 years now as a Floor Technician. I used to be on 2nd shift but through some bulls, I now been exclusively working first shift. The problem is that I don't drive and it's hard to find someone willing in the morning to
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • drive me so I have to carpool with my mom cause her job's going towards the same way, but she has to clock in at 6 AM while I clock in at 7. So I have to get up at 5, get dressed by 5:30, and then I usually get dropped off around 5:40. Otherwise, I have to walk across town to get to work
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • I have few qualms about working mornings but I still arrive on time, even if I walk to work I can still be on time. However, I'm still tired and I wanna catch some sleep before I clock in. So I usually go into the computer learning room and take a nap for the last few months now, nobody cared. When i
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • first started here, I worked mornings so I had another spot I slept in before clock in until they closed it off from employees, nobody cared then. Its not that I'm sleep-deprived, it's more of a "might as well!" thing. And if I may add,
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • I always usually show up to work a hour or a half-hour before I clock in anyways and I don't even sleep. It's something I been doing way before even I started this job
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • I clocked in this morning and my department head starts chewing me out first thing for using my off time to sleep in a empty public room at a hour where it's not being used and most of the morning staff isn't here, including my bosses. She's telling me that since I'm here early, which is something I
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • have no say in, I should clock in over a hour and half early and begin working. Like it's not my choice to be here this early so why should I have to work before everyone else in my department for no reason
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • I tried suggesting moving to another room like the employee break room or putting me back on 2nd shift but my department head is adamant on keeping me on first so that she can have me right under her wrinkly old thumb and the worst part is that there's another fully capable person on
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • first that could be handling 1st shift on his own yet we both are constantly stepping on each other's toes finding stuff to keep busy on an eight hour shift.
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • I was going to have a discussion with the big boss later today but I'm beyond not having the energy to be patronized and dismissed so I thinking about calling it quits. Thoughts?
    via AlwaysTheStraightMan
  • A representation of a man using a floor cleaning machine in a waiting area lined with seats
    via Yunus Tuğ (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a man using a floor cleaning machine in a waiting area lined with seats

  • green_calculator Get her to say via email that she wants you to clock in early, then when they complain about your overtime, forward the email. If you're in the US.
    via green_calculator
  • HollzStars Ask if clocking in early means you get to leave early? Or if it's overtime? Both those options sound better than a nap imo.
    via HollzStars
  • LoocsinatasYT Bro I'd definitely just take the clocking in early. If you're working hours before anyone is there it's typically more chill and you're gonna get OT. Id definitely do this over an uncomfortable daily nap
    via LoocsinatasYT
  • kahlyse Can't think of a workplace that would (or should) allow this. Kind of common sense. Being offered overtime is an awesome opportunity if you're stuck there anyway. Be glad they're not telling you to leave. I'd take the OT in a heartbeat.
    via kahlyse
  • strawberryjetpuff id clock in early and clock out early too. either that, or find a nearby cafe and bring a book to read
    via strawberryjetpuff
  • Steve_the_Samurai Jesus. Not sleeping at work isn't that big of an ask.
    via Steve_the_Samurai

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