
 
 U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Md. (U.S. Census Bureau) 
 
 Workers are sleeping on the job at the U.S. Census Bureau and the agency is asking employees to stop napping in public areas of its Maryland headquarters. 
 
 A memo sent Tuesday said officials are fielding an increased number of complaints about colleagues “sleeping in public areas.” 
 
 “While at work, our behavior sends a powerful message to our customers, our colleagues and the taxpayers about who we are and what we value,” Ted A. Johnson, the bureau’s acting human resources director, said in the memo. 
 
 “Sleeping on the premises is not acceptable behavior,” Johnson wrote later. “It is manifestly unprofessional and creates an impression of carelessness, which unfairly impugns the hard work of the entire Census community. Moreover, such behavior can lead to safety problems in the event of an emergency.” 
 
 The memo urged ill employees to take leave if necessary, and to seek medical help if they are feeling tired or drowsy. 
 
 A Census spokesman confirmed Wednesday that “a handful” of census workers had been found in recent weeks napping in the lobby, library and cafeteria of the agency’s headquarters, located at the Suitland Federal Center, in Maryland, a sprawling campus that also houses offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Census headquarters includes a lengthy groundfloor promenade lined with shops, a cafeteria, auditorium and agency offices. 
 
 In recent weeks, union representatives and agency officials had received complaints about dozing workers from concerned colleagues, the Census Bureau said Wednesday. “The e-mail was sent as a reminder to all contractors and staffs of their professional obligations and to aspire to the highest standard of conduct,” it said in a statement. 
 
 Follow Ed O’Keefe on Twitter: @edatpost 
 
 Further reading: 
 
 Interactive map: Explore the 2010 Census 
 
 Census Bureau revises down its totals for same-sex households in U.S. 
 
 The Federal Eye’s coverage of the U.S. Census Bureau 
 
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– The Federal Eye blog at the Washington Post picks up on two memos to government employees not of the usual variety (we hope): Nap time: Census Bureau officials fielding increased complaints about workers "sleeping in public areas" of its Maryland headquarters cracked down: “Sleeping on the premises is not acceptable behavior. It is manifestly unprofessional and creates an impression of carelessness, which unfairly impugns the hard work of the entire Census community. Moreover, such behavior can lead to safety problems in the event of an emergency." It also urged workers to seek medical help if they feel drowsy. Full post here. Exploding toilets: After a toilet exploded and sent a female employee of the General Services Administration to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, GSA workers got this warning: “DO NOT flush toilets or use any domestic water. Due to a mechanical failure, there is high air pressure in the domestic water system that resulted in damage to toilets.” Full post here.