I've Got Someone Sacked .....

albert · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:03

...and i feel terrible about it. I hate playing good cop , bad cop :mad:

I'm a Team Leader at work and pick up a workmate on my way to work. On the way there he told me he'd had 4 cans of lager a couple of hours previous. As he drives machinery at work i told my supervisor what he'd said in the car. Subsequently the lad was taken to office and then walked off site. He had worked with me for a year and a half.

I know i did the right thing by telling my supervisor but i can't help thinking how i could have handled it differently so the lad would have kept his job. To make matters worse he was one of my best workers, knew every job and more and was always talking about trying for promotion. Also he's just bought a house and is paying for a holiday for early next year. This keeps going around and around in my head.

I'm not paid enough for this

and my head is buzzing ......

Rainmaker · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:07

You're looking for validation, it seems. I wasn't there, but perhaps it would have been better to point out your seniority in the car in light of his admission, and say it's best he takes a sickie to avoid you having to report him out of duty, and to stay sober for work in future. Consider it a warning etc.

The mortgage and holiday are a bummer, especially in this climate. Then again he may have ignored you and killed or maimed someone. Who knows? If he'd not turned up drunk this would never have happened so ultimately he can only blame himself.

Spook187 · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:07

Then you should have taken him straight back home to sort himself out imo.

Pixel · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:07

You'd feel even worse if he'd killed someone with heavy machinery at work, and you knew you could've prevented it.

Robbo · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:07

Well, it's not like he did nothing wrong is it? He probably knew he shouldn't be under the influence of alcohol at work, especially when operating machinery.

Don't beat yourself up about it.

Vonhelmet · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:08

Pixel said:
You'd feel even worse if he'd killed someone with heavy machinery at work, and you knew you could've prevented it.

Exactly.

Rainmaker · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:09

Vonhelmet said:
Exactly.

He could also have prevented it by refusing to allow the guy to work and providing the ultimatum of 'throw a sickie and sober up, don't do it again - or get the sack when you walk onto the premises'.

/Devil's advocate (but also serious)

arc@css · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:09

Bottom line...he put you between a rock and a hard place when he told you what he did. I mean what were you supposed to do? It's not your fault he didn't just get a rollocking and told not to do it again.

Mickie · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:10

if you say he's as good as you say he is, you'd also try and get him his job back..

i'd have also told him to pull a sick, not go behind the lads back and get him sacked

Brian8bit · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:10

I agree with Rainmaker.

Castiel · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:11

You should have sent him home before he got to work. Was he summarily dismissed?

Tephnos · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:11

Rainmaker said:
He could also have prevented it by refusing to allow the guy to work and providing the ultimatum of 'throw a sickie and sober up, don't do it again - or get the sack when you walk onto the premises'.

/Devil's advocate (but also serious)

Agreed. I don't think you should have gone behind his back. Like you said he was one of your best workers and it's not like this was a recurring thing.

You should try and get his job back if you can.

albert · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:12

Mickie said:
i'd have also told him to pull a sick, not go behind the lads back and get him sacked

This is exactly what i wish i'd done.

Limpnoodle · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:13

not good man not good

franco_22 · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:13

Man I really hate people like you. Why tell on people? It's the lowest thing you can do to someone.

VoG · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:14

Rainmaker said:
He could also have prevented it by refusing to allow the guy to work and providing the ultimatum of 'throw a sickie and sober up, don't do it again - or get the sack when you walk onto the premises'.

/Devil's advocate (but also serious)

this tbh, i would've read him the riot act then pulled over & kicked him out the car to go pull a sickie, tell him it's your one & only get out of jail free card cos next time your boned type of thing.

ah well, whats dones done.

muon · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:15

Wow, unless he operates a crane or something, I'd have given him a chance. Especially if I had no other reason to think this wasn't a one off.

But you didn't really do anything wrong I guess.

edscdk · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:16

Not your fault he could have lied to the supervisor....

Still if I were him I'd be coming for you so I'd hide......

[FnG]magnolia · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:17

You're not going to get him his job back without lying and even then you don't want to go down that route.

You made a poor choice. It happens

Entropy · 22 Sep 2011 at 01:18

Not a situation i would have liked to be in, you could have perhaps handled it differently but what ever people say you did the responsible thing. Id have probably asked the guy why he feels having 4 cans before work was a good idea, doesn't seem the type of thing a normal person would be doing before a shift at work