Part of my job duties involve being the tech person on standby during intentional video conferences held regularly in my job.

After setup and testing, usually this involves me sitting in a chair facing a room full of VIPs and jumping up when there's issues, cameras need to be adjusted etc.

The problem I'm facing is I keep having "micro sleeps", especially when ill (and unable to call in sick for various reasons). I'd doze and jerk awake when my head falls.

And I'll doze despite being cold, despite having a laptop in my lap to monitor the connection and despite being extremely anxious.

As I'm in the front of the room, people have noticed and this work environment has cases of people being barked at for having a sore throat rendering their speech less clear (Yep, I'm not a fan of the work culture). It's only a matter of time before I encounter someone who'll complain.

Any tips? Pinching myself doesn't keep me alert.