Nodding off at your desk can cost you after all

Dimitri Vervitsiotis / GETTY IMAGES

As one German banker can tell you, nodding off at your desk can cost you. In this case, a quick workplace nap almost cost one woman her job and caused a $293 million banking error.

The clerk “momentarily fell asleep” on the job and accidentally held down the number 2 button on his keyboard for a little too long — think 222,222,222.22 — causing that much money (in Euros) to be transferred out of the bank.

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While the mistake was eventually noticed and corrected, the on-duty supervisor originally approved the payment request, allowing the funds to go through. On further review of the supervisor’s records, it was discovered that the 48-year-old woman had spent less than 1.4 seconds to examine a total of 603 payments. She was fired for not catching the glaring error — although after bringing her case to court was given her job back — while the snoozing clerk was only handed a slap on the wrist.

So the next time you’re feeling a little drowsy on the job, you might want to take an extra cup of coffee instead of a power nap.

MORE: Don’t Nap On This: Why The Business of Sleep Will Keep Booming