Advice on co-worker taking drugs at work

[Orionaut]

Yes it does. And as with alcohol and other drugs, the more you do it the less it impacts your functionality. I've had cigarettes occasionally that have made me shaky and made it hard to concentrate. Same with caffeine.

You leave my coffee alone! I shall not have a bad word said about that tasty brown nectar

In all seriousness, half a dozen coffees is enough to make me feel really rather strange, and probably a good bit more dangerous behind the wheel than half a dozen beers!

 

[Hawk Tuah]

The police would be more than happy to drugs swab him at the roadside after he got in his car to drive home for the day. They certainly wouldn't care if it was from the night before.

Buy call the police, I mean calling 101 and reporting it - and getting their advice on how to proceed.

 

[R.P.L]

Yes it does. And as with alcohol and other drugs, the more you do it the less it impacts your functionality. I've had cigarettes occasionally that have made me shaky and made it hard to concentrate. Same with caffeine.

Alright, firstly the post I initially responded to was referring specifically to the effects of withdrawal.

Yeah, if you have a very strong nicotine hit then it makes you feel funny for a short time. Intoxicated is defined as "(of alcoholic drink or a drug) cause (someone) to lose control of their faculties or behavior" though, and I think it's fair to say that with normal doses of nicotine that's not the case. So yeah I know what you mean, but in the vast majority of cases nicotine shouldn't be considered intoxicating in the same way that e.g. 4 pints would be, because there's a very demonstrable decrease in cognitive ability after that which most smokers just won't get after a cigarette.

Now let's stop derailing this thread with a pointless debate about nothing important

 

[Junglist]

In all seriousness, half a dozen coffees is enough to make me feel really rather strange, and probably a good bit more dangerous behind the wheel than half a dozen beers!

I can remember once I was feeling particularly tired so I asked the barista at Nero to put an extra 3 shots of espresso in my large Latte, so 5 in total. She did look at me a bit perplexed but went on to make it. I thought I was going to have a heart attack and I was shaking like I was sat on a washing machine. Never again!

 

[dowie]

Nah, not since Uni, about 25 years ago. All depends how much it affects his work imo.

If he's supposed to be supervising vulnerable teenagers then it isn't a very good example to set, nor is it a good response from management to shrug it off, especially using BS excuses like citing possible racism counter accusation (presumably simply because the guy is BAME) - that sort of mentality contributed to the grooming gang scandal and is in itself a form of soft bigotry/racism in itself... act differently around people of colour because they might pull the racism card out.

If he was a colleague at McDonald's then sure, ignore it and move on... but someone in a regulated profession dealing with vulnerable adults who thinks it's OK to get high when he's supposed to be supervising them... **** that, go back to management not accepting their fobbing off and/or turn whistleblower if nothing is done.

 

[Steeps]

Police would be very interested and this is a safeguarding issue. County drug lines is a big issue right now where vulnerable kids in homes are targeted to distribute drugs. If there's staff on board who openly use while the kids are in their care it could escalate to supply, taking advantage of them.

https://safeguardinghub.co.uk/county-lines-2019-update/

The fact the managers are trying to cover up this issue and not investigate further/nip it in the bud means further safeguarding training might be required.

 

[phonemonkey]

Double post

 

[phonemonkey]

What you might find is that her manager but knew they didn't have sufficient proof

A manager might quickly find some other, easier to prove context to quietly get rid him for which there is proof. For example, if he's as lazy and self centred as he sounds, he's almost certainly fabricated care records which would be easy to prove: the records claim you were with so and so in such and such a place at x time. However on reviewing CCTV for that location and time you cannot be seen.

Or the boss might be looking to catch him in the act of drug taking at work to remove the question of 'when'

I doubt the boss likes it any more than your partner but ultimately she's right. There's (currently anyway) no proof of when the drugs were taken and only your partners (probably accurate) word for what happened. It's too easy for him to deny and too hard for your partner and her boss to prove.

I'd be unhappy too but I think while your partner is morally in the right her boss is being more pragmatic. Hopefully it all ends up with him gone and unable to work in the field again regardless. If not I'd be having words with unions and the care commission. Managing the situation a different way to the way your partner expected and hoped is one thing. Failing to deal with it at all is another thing altogether.

She should write out a record of what occurred and when and who was there and what was said if appropriate. As. Quickly. As. She. Can. Then date the pieces. Hopefully she can get rid of them when he leaves but they might just be useful

 

[ttaskmaster]

There's (currently anyway) no proof of when the drugs were taken and only your partners (probably accurate) word for what happened. It's too easy for him to deny and too hard for your partner and her boss to prove.

Being a youth care facility, presumably there is CCTV that might just happen to catch something?

 

[Threepwood]

If the guy is not sensible enough to be able to smoke weed in his own time, without anybody knowing about it at work, smelling of weed etc.... then he is not responsible enough to be looking after children, end of story.

(just like having a drink in the evening and not turning up smelling of booze etc)

 

[Roar87]

I mean I agree smoking weed at work is bad, he shouldn't be doing it, but he isn't shooting heroine here let's put things in perspective.

 

[Threepwood]

I mean I agree smoking weed at work is bad, he shouldn't be doing it, but he isn't shooting heroine here let's put things in perspective.

I wouldnt be okay if he was stinking of booze and drinking a tot of whisky or two while at work though, would it? (just keeping things in perspective)

 

[phonemonkey]

Being a youth care facility, presumably there is CCTV that might just happen to catch something?

CCTV sure. CCTV clear enough to clearly distinguish between a joint and a cig being smoked, presumably from the OP, in a car at night? Possibly not

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I mean I agree smoking weed at work is bad, he shouldn't be doing it, but he isn't shooting heroine here let's put things in perspective.

It entirely depends on the work though. In this kind of workplace it's absolutely unacceptable.

 

[Yadda]

In you other half's position, I'd make a complaint in writing (preferably email) to his boss.

Otherwise if something happens involving this chap further down the line then they might suddenly develop memory loss and deny ever having received your complaint.

 

[Smokey Deza]

OP it's a small company, so they're not going to fart about with drug testing because one employee may or may not be doing it.

And to all the weed drug test experts in here, I passed mine FYI <12h.

 

[Angilion]

[..]
She immediately contacted her manager (who was at home at the time), who in turn has contacted the area manager.
They have pretty much said that they aren't going to act on it because
- it will be her word against his
- a drug test wouldn't prove he was doing it on shift (WTF), he could have done it in his own time, he might have done it in his own time and the smell was in his car then when he sat in it on his break it then transferred to his clothes without him actually smoking it.
- he might turn it around as her being racist (again WTF)

Arse-covering, corporate style. But they're correct in both of the things you state "WTF?" about. The drug test for cannabis doesn't even test for cannabis. It tests for metabolites and is far too crude a test to prove time of use. It's a crap test, frankly. It should be obvious that playing the race card is a real thing nowadays and is a genuine risk for any business. Reality is irrelevant when guilt is presumed because people are deemed to be the wrong sex, the wrong "race" or whatever irrational prejudice is fashionable at the time.

The company's sole concern will be the company, so people at decision-making levels will be after the route of least damaging exposure. Doing anything about it will definitely result in negative exposure, extremely negative exposure if the person plays the race card. Doing nothing about it might result in no exposure and probably won't result in extremely bad exposure because the drug involved is cannabis, which currently has a good public reputation.

If she wants to take a risk by going against the company, she could push the issue within the company and threaten to escalate the issue by going public if the company doesn't meet her demands. That probably won't go well for her. The care industry is not exactly known for being considerate of its employees. She could try an "anonymous" (*) call to get the police to do something and then lie to her employers if they ask her about it. If he really is smoking cannabis at work, he'll probably be influenced enough to impair his driving and that would give her plausible deniability if the police did pull him over and test him. That would probably be her safest way if she's a good enough liar.


* It probably won't really be anonymous nowadays, of course, but it shouldn't be accessible to her employer.

 

[builder22]

And to all the weed drug test experts in here, I passed mine FYI <12h.

have a read on Drugwipe 3S and THC9 in blood, that's what's used by the police for roadside tests and testing for prosecution...chances of getting stopped and tested without reason seem pretty slim...but still...

 

[ttaskmaster]

CCTV sure. CCTV clear enough to clearly distinguish between a joint and a cig being smoked, presumably from the OP, in a car at night? Possibly not

But enough to support someone conveniently present, maybe a PCSO or passing beat bobby, who smells it and comes to investigate?
Better yet, how about one of the parents finding it?

OP it's a small company, so they're not going to fart about with drug testing because one employee may or may not be doing it.
And to all the weed drug test experts in here, I passed mine FYI <12h.

Tests cost as little as £50, apparently.
What would the costs be of a parent suing the care company when a junkie employee's negligence results in harm to or death of a child in their care?

Besides, I presume the company drugs policy will state something about being found to have drugs in one's system, regardless of when it was taken. Ours does - You might not have taken drugs for a week or more, but if they're still in you then you're out.

 

[Craig R]

eats a couple of mouthfuls of food at meal time then bins the rest.

Can't be stoned or the whole lot would be getting munched.