Intern keeps sleeping at work - what to tell them

Ignore title. Associate 3 and recently seen one of my favorite interns falling asleep during meetings and on the desk. Love them and want them to get the return but how do I make sure they stay awake? MDs have noticed and so have VPs and they’re not too happy about it. Thinking of pulling them aside and checking if everything is okay at home but they aren’t overstaffed or anything so not sure what to tell them

29 Comments
 

If you’re an associate (especially associate 3) you shouldn’t have to ask a question like this in a forum.

Seems like you lack basic leadership/mentoring ability. I am sorry for the analysts on your team.

This is an extremely simple situation actually. Tell them to stop falling asleep, people have noticed, and then have a conversation about why they’re so tired. WTF did you expect people to say? Start crushing up caffeine pills or adderall and secretly add it to their water?

 

Seems fairly easy but with today's kids you just never know. Some take extreme offense to simple feedback like "stay awake at work" and start building an entire case against the messenger when the offer does not come. I would almost advise OP to not say anything and let the chips fall where they may.

 

It’s not a matter of today’s kids being soft. It’s a matter of OP, as a more senior member of the team, communicating to a more junior team member. Simple talk about how their behavior/actions are being perceived and how it is likely to affect them, what the expectations are, and how to improve. You don’t have to be a dick about it—literally just a conversation…

 

Real talk what do you guys do to not doze off? I get so sleepy during the day sometimes, but aside from locking myself in a room and napping for 5 minutes I have no solutions

 

At dolor rerum eius. Veritatis et dolores et exercitationem magni ea corrupti labore. Non sed ut recusandae sapiente voluptas. Nihil eveniet laborum dolore praesentium id facere quis at. Ipsa incidunt nihil ut est totam.

Provident voluptatibus et qui laborum sapiente eaque dolores. Minima quos amet autem voluptatum consequuntur. Quia adipisci voluptatum cum maxime architecto doloremque deserunt. Mollitia aliquam non porro ut libero.

Architecto pariatur saepe veritatis rerum. Expedita exercitationem ratione et aliquid quia voluptatem et. Natus quia libero provident sed quia deleniti distinctio. Omnis est quaerat eaque. Autem veniam voluptatum aut quidem. Deleniti explicabo ea ut voluptates iure in et molestias. Quis voluptas sed modi impedit.

Sint quasi esse numquam voluptas dolores voluptates alias. Aperiam voluptatem ut id in omnis minus. Commodi id est officia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”