Terminated from my Internship

<p>It looks like I have been terminated from my job. I was in Chicago Friday – Sunday for a prestigious business-industry conference. I didn’t get home until 1am, went to sleep at 2am, woke up at 5am, had a 7am dentist appointment and headed straight to work. I basically only had 2 hours of sleep. While I was doing my work with my supervisor, fatigue ultimately took its toll on me. While I was reading some documents for my supervisor, I accidentally fell “asleep” on my desk. The vice president of the company was doing his walk-through to study the production of his employees and spotted me. He brought me into another room, and told me that he has to terminate me (even though the internship ends in four days) because he must maintain high ethical standards for the company. “Sleeping on the job” is a cardinal sin, he preached. While he understood that I was at a great opportunity in Chicago, he must lead and discipline employees.</p>

<p>So, I have to tell my supervisor, who will be very livid (I’m updating the database and everything for him) that today is my last day and will probably fight to keep me here until Friday, the end of the internship. The vice president told me that if I was really tired, I should have taken this day off (my mother forced me to go to work today.)I didn’t fight or make any excuses with the vice president. I will just have to leave, and my supervisor has to finish with whatever I was left out, even though he has two major projects due by Wednesday. The vice president told me to look at this as a learning experience. What have I done….</p>

<p>Sleeping at work will get you terminated from most places. Sorry it happened to you, but you will survive.</p>

<p>I hope your supervisor can save you...
but for what it's worth, I don't think this will hurt you later on. If you need recommendations or when future employers ask for references, they'd talk to your supervisor, who I assume likes you and would speak kindly on your behalf.</p>

<p>Live and learn. This too shall pass.</p>

<p>Yes, if future employers want a reference they will speak with your supervisor. However if the supervisor is no longer employed at this company, a background check telephone call will be made to Human Resources. Your file will indicate that you left involuntarily and one of the questions asked will be "Is he/she eligible for rehire?" Before leaving, you should check with HR to find out what will be in your file.</p>

<p>You may want to get a reference letter from the supervisor. And the advice you have received was good. This is a lesson learned very early in your professional career.</p>

<p>On a more personal note, don't be annoyed with your mother, who "forced" you to go to work today. She may have felt that calling in too tired to work would annoy the powers that be, and falloing asleep at your desk was probably an unthought of worst-case scenario.</p>

<p>The other option, since this sounds like this was a short-term summer internship, is to simply not list it on your resume or any application. Falling asleep isn't always the end of the world. I've done it in staff meetings and training sessions, because they were so boring or right after lunch.</p>

<p>Something I want to add, sort of a nag but also something young employees should think about. Yes, getting fired is an awful feeling and could also be an inconvenience if you were hoping for future references from youir internsip. BUT, tenisghs, I noticed that you posted on another threads earlier this morning--maybe right after you got to work after the dentist--starting with an apology for late response because you were just back form Chicago. if you were in fact at work and knew you were tired, this may not have been a great use of your personal resources. Additionally, doing personal e-mail at work, although very common, is not necessarily looked favorably upon. It is possible that when the VP found you asleep at your desk it wasn't so much a first offense as a finishing touch--conceivably the VP or someone else in a supervisory role may have felt you weren't pulling your weight as much as you thought you were.</p>

<p>Sleeping on the job....I think that all full-time employees have done it at least once (twice, half dozen times). When the lights are dim and you're tired, sitting in on a two hour meeting (or at your desk) can put you straight to sleep. Getting terminated from a summer internship is a lot better than being termed from a full-time postition. You only had four days left anyway. Enjoy your summer!</p>

<p>Follow up to Mattmom's caution: It's a big mistake to do personal e-mail and to visit web sites like this on company time and with a company computer. All of your e-mails and posts can be tracked by the company. Many companies monitor things like this, including employees' blogs. Your posts can be cause for firing or for lawsuits.</p>

<p>Do this kind of thing on your own time (not even during lunch) and with your own computer.</p>

<p>"Sleeping on the job....I think that all full-time employees have done it at least once (twice, half dozen times.)"</p>

<p>Hmmm, falling asleep at work while I'm teaching second graders...nope, never done that one! Not even in a staff meeting. Maybe not everyone does it...</p>

<p>well maybe if you have a job where you sit down- but um no in what 30 years of working misc jobs- I have never fallen asleep.</p>

<p>However I do wonder why they schedule meetings right after lunch- better to schedule them during lunch when at least your blood sugar will keep you awake!</p>

<p>Apparently you forgot to load up on coffee! That's what I used to do in my first job (which was fairly boring, plus I had my own office) when I felt I was going to nod off. I am sure some of your peers have used something stronger to stay awake after a long night out. At your age you should be able to party all night and report to work with NO sleep! Not that you would get much work done.....</p>

<p>
[quote]
At your age you should be able to party all night and report to work with NO sleep

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Are you kidding? I can sleep 12 hours and still feel tired. I thought younger people needed more sleep.</p>

<p>if you are sleeping 12 hours and you are still tired you may have a physical condition
are you getting enough iron ( lack of iron contributes to lower oxygen content in blood)
Sleep apnea?
When I was 20- I stayed up till 2 and went to work at 7- didn't everyone ;)?</p>

<p>We didn't even have ESPRESSO!!! when I worked in an office- I am embarrased to say that I did occasionally go to work still feeling the effects from the night before- my office job was the only job that I could have gotten away with that- my other jobs ( working in a commerical kitchen- cutting hair- doing massage- intructional aide- retail) none of those jobs even allowed me to sit down let alone go to sleep- although looking back I think if you are moving around it is much easier to stay awake than if you are siting in a nice comfortable chair- but those other jobs didn't allow me to drink coffee either except on a break which sometimes the only break I had was for the bathroom.</p>

<p>Being a teacher is a little different. I would hope that an elementary school teacher would not fall asleep during class. For some people in corporate america, staring at a computer screen all day (with little social interaction) can sometimes take its toll. I stand corrected when I said "everyone".</p>

<p>Iron from what?</p>

<p>Iron from what your diet provides?? Or a supplement.</p>

<p>Goodness, as an intern at the hospital I don't think a day went by that I didn't fall asleep in noon conference. If the lecture doesn't interest me, I still fall asleep in noon conference.</p>

<p>Hey guys, I just wrote a thank-you card for the experience of being an intern at his organization. At the same time, when I told my mother the devastating news, she reminded me "didn't you just take your new medication today?" When I looked at the prescription papers, it states in bold print "headaches, dizziness, and drowziness." So I have enclosed a copy of this prescription description to the vice president with my letter. I'm not asking for my job back, but I want him to realize that I didn't sleep to "steal the company's money" on the job. This was a manifestation of the medicine that I had no idea would have occurred.</p>