diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
index 1bcdf15cbba..16bed62b871 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ $z-layers: (
     "content": 400,
   ),
   "dropdown": 300,
+  "chat-drawer": 200,
   "timeline": 100,
   "base": 1,
 );
diff --git a/plugins/chat/assets/stylesheets/common/chat-drawer.scss b/plugins/chat/assets/stylesheets/common/chat-drawer.scss
index 10718d25d9d..1ecd84c9a31 100644
--- a/plugins/chat/assets/stylesheets/common/chat-drawer.scss
+++ b/plugins/chat/assets/stylesheets/common/chat-drawer.scss
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ html.rtl {
 }
 
 .chat-drawer-outlet-container {
-  // higher than timeline, lower than composer, lower than user card (bump up below)
-  z-index: z("composer", "content") - 1;
+  // higher than timeline, lower than composer, dropdown, and user card
+  z-index: z("chat-drawer");
   position: fixed;
   right: var(--composer-right, 20px);
   left: 0;