I've Got Someone Sacked .....

Grimley · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:19

Robbo said:
Don't beat yourself up about it.

This. I've never lost sleep over the fact I got a girl at work sacked many years ago. I was a department manager back then, one of the other members of staff found her asleep at the back of the store & pointed her location out to me. I was angry that she was getting away with this (it wasn't the 1st time she'd done this according to what I'd heard) I went & got the store manager who woke her up & sacked her on the spot!

She was in floods of tears & whining that she'd got caught sleeping while at work from what I heard about it afterwards. ohdearwhatapitynevermind

I get very angry when I hear people break the rules & get away with it, it's one rule for all of us at work not one rule for them & another for us. It's usually the shirkers that break the rules in my work :mad:

I think nothing of 'whistle blowing' to the bosses if I think it will get rid of said shirkers.

Vonhelmet · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:22

dmpoole said:
This is a real tough one OP and I'm glad it didn't happen to me.
Nobody has mentioned the fact that if you had sent him home, at a later date he could have come in drunk, caused an accident and I'd bet my life that during his case he would mention that you had sent him home once.
Good deeds can come back and bite you.

Yep, amazing that no one mentioned that

Robbo · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:31

Moothead2 said:
When he's on the stand as an accessory to murder charge .

IrishChr1s · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:31

You should have pulled a sickie with him and went to the pub, lesson learned.

jokes aside, your there to make these decisions, we can all think what could have be done after, but you made the right choice.

Spyke_UK · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:38

So from some of the replies in here, do quite a few of you turn up for work half cut on a regular basis?

If the lad had not said anything to you, and you could not tell he'd had a drink, he maybe could have gotten away with it, as a supervisor you are responsible for the safety of employees at work, if you had not said anything and an accident happened or someone else picked up on his drinking, you knowing about it and not doing anything about it could have put your job in jeopardy.

Hedge · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:45

Spyke_UK said:
So from some of the replies in here, do quite a few of you turn up for work half cut on a regular basis?

If the lad had not said anything to you, and you could not tell he'd had a drink, he maybe could have gotten away with it, as a supervisor you are responsible for the safety of employees at work, if you had not said anything and an accident happened or someone else picked up on his drinking, you knowing about it and not doing anything about it could have put your job in jeopardy.

Nah a lot of us value the friendships with people or consider the impacts on peoples lives when raising a serious issue.

Everyone keeps saying "if you had sent him home and he came back the next week and killed everyone then it would be your fault"... but the reality is you send him home, yet still tell management what you have done. Saves the guy being walked off site and losing any dignity that he may have.

Stretch · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:59

Rainmaker said:
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.

This.

Housey · 22 Sep 2011 at 19:59

Had he done this before?

Vonhelmet · 22 Sep 2011 at 20:06

Hedge said:
Nah a lot of us value the friendships with people or consider the impacts on peoples lives when raising a serious issue.

Everyone keeps saying "if you had sent him home and he came back the next week and killed everyone then it would be your fault"... but the reality is you send him home, yet still tell management what you have done. Saves the guy being walked off site and losing any dignity that he may have.

But that way of doing things still probably doesn't help him keep his job :confused:

This Side Up · 22 Sep 2011 at 20:37

If I was in a position to 'intercept' my unfit colleagues and persuade them to sick it for a day instead of going to work and being a liability, I would have done so.

As a person in a management position, if I thought someone was incapable for whatever reason i.e. was an emotional wreck because their boyfriend left them and they are spending most of their time crying in the loos, or because they have had waaaay too much the night before and are now completely hanging, I'd send them home.

Then again, I work in an office and not some construction/heavy industry with big machines etc. Having a hangover in the office is a sign of manhood, as one colleague assured me prior to me sending him home for being quite badly hung over - the division heads were visiting on the same day, and I didn't want my Bosses' Boss seeing Capt ****head holding his head and boasting to all and sundry about how much of a man he is because he can do 10 pints of Guinness and still be in work in the morning.

Hedge · 22 Sep 2011 at 20:42

Vonhelmet said:
But that way of doing things still probably doesn't help him keep his job

No, but it means you dont come across as a jobsworth to your peers.

When the guy doesnt make it onto the work premises the boss can use his discretion. When the guy is on company property under the influence the Boss is left with No choice.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 22 Sep 2011 at 21:25

he wasn't sick!!!
He was throught his own fault unable to comply with is contract conditions, he should have asked to take a days holiday/unpaid

Jeez people wonder why companies are so serious about sick records, I can't believe half the people on this saying he should have taken a sickie! Thats what holidays are for, taking time off work to do your own thing.

GSXRMovistar · 22 Sep 2011 at 22:43

One thing I will add is that you don't have to 'pull a sickie' to avoid work. Most companies will allow you emergency personal days. As before it's all context, if the lad had just found out his wife was leaving him, he had a serious health problem, or had been abducted by aliens and probed in the backside there may have been a reason for said drinking. Or alternatively he was just a stupid ass, my point was the OP had the ability to avoid putting people at risk, gather more details before taking actions which lead to this outcome.

Glaucus · 22 Sep 2011 at 22:59

The op does not have the power to make such choices. He either reports it, or take a risk with his own job and covers. That is the two options. He is not the one to investigate or make choices. The investigation will decide if there's a reasonable underlying reason.

GSXRMovistar · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:20

AcidHell2 said:
The op does not have the power to make such choices. He either reports it, or take a risk with his own job and covers.

At no point am I encouraging cover up, and possibly I'm relating too much to the company/industry I work in where employees promoted to lead leaders are expected to initially make judgement calls. I would never expect anyone to place themselves in a position where their own job would be at risk.

As with all Internet arguments (sorry discussions) some people will feel one one way and others another, and highly unlikely a common side will be agreed. I just personally feel the OP could have done more/acted differently in this situation.

SexyGreyFox · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:29

GSXRMovistar said:
I just personally feel the OP could have done more/acted differently in this situation.

I don't think he could.
He was in a position where if he had sent him home and told him to have a holiday/sickie it could have come back to bite his bum.
The bloke could have done it another time and during investigation could say that albert had sent him home before.
You can't trust anybody.

However, afaik, the boss didn't test the lad so there is zero proof and saying he could smell booze is not a test.

ExecutorKevin · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:39

I don't feel any sympathy for you albert, you should have given him a second chance, took him home and risked your job knowing full well that you did it for a genuine cause. I would certainly never like to know a person like that. Once a snitch e.t.c.

Have you ever seen Star trek 2 & 3, the true value of friendship, you would sacrifice your family, career, beloved ship while breaking the rules and stealing to help one of your colleagues. I could never live with that and if I Were him, I would hold a Grudge against you for all eternity.

Castiel · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:48

ExecutorKevin said:
I don't feel any sympathy for you albert, you should have given him a second chance, took him home and risked your job knowing full well that you did it for a genuine cause. I would certainly never like to know a person like that. Once a snitch e.t.c.

Have you ever seen Star trek 2 & 3, the true value of friendship, you would sacrifice your family, career, beloved ship while breaking the rules and stealing to help one of your colleagues. I could never live with that and if I Were him, I would hold a Grudge against you for all eternity.

Not sure if serious!

.Lethal · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:51

ExecutorKevin said:
I don't feel any sympathy for you albert, you should have given him a second chance, took him home and risked your job knowing full well that you did it for a genuine cause. I would certainly never like to know a person like that. Once a snitch e.t.c.

Have you ever seen Star trek 2 & 3, the true value of friendship, you would sacrifice your family, career, beloved ship while breaking the rules and stealing to help one of your colleagues. I could never live with that and if I Were him, I would hold a Grudge against you for all eternity.

hahahaha

Why are people calling OP a snitch? Seems a bit immature. It could have been handled better perhaps, but it could have been handled a lot worse.

ShadowMan · 22 Sep 2011 at 23:52

ExecutorKevin said:
I don't feel any sympathy for you albert, you should have given him a second chance, took him home and risked your job knowing full well that you did it for a genuine cause. I would certainly never like to know a person like that. Once a snitch e.t.c.

Have you ever seen Star trek 2 & 3, the true value of friendship, you would sacrifice your family, career, beloved ship while breaking the rules and stealing to help one of your colleagues. I could never live with that and if I Were him, I would hold a Grudge against you for all eternity.

you would want him to risk his own job for someone else's stupidity? What if Albert has 6 kids to support? Worth risking it then? Easy to say you would risk your own job on a forum but would you really? Work is to support yourself and your own family not anyone else.

this was not the enterprise or a film. It is real life. Look after yourself at the expense of all others.