Addressing an employee issue

[Playa]

Yesterday I had an employee, who has been with us since Sept, but is inside of 30 days of being officially hired on show up to work smelling strongly of alcohol.

I asked my supervisor how I should handle, he suggested I address it with a witness but nothing more.

So I did, I felt like there was no reason to involve anyone else in the situation and since my direct supervisor was already apprised of the situation I requested he be my witness.

Long story short, employee is offended how I handled the situation and that I should have just come to them personally and not have had a made it a "formal" reprimand. Then I got all the excuses that it was just "3 or4 beers" and her mouthwash must have contributed to it.

My thought is, that as an employee, particularly one still in their 90 day probationary period, they don't get a pass, or benefit of the doubt, and if it were any other employee within their probationary period, I would have handled it the same way.

[Daniel75]

She's lucky she didn't get fired. Who shows up for work buzzed? Really?

[Humper]

So did you fire her? I would have!

[talltexasshoote]

Alcohol on the job doesn't get a pass ever in my book. Employee is putting the business, themselves, and coworkers in jeopardy. You did the right thing.

[Jason19]

So did you fire her? I would have!

X2

especially inside the 90 days.

[UncleBubba]

I would have fired her, after a breathalyzer of course.

[Jaybo31]

If she didnt get canned...you will be having this discussion again. Trust me

[Ol Thumper]

Fired on the spot!! No exceptions..

[Playa]

So did you fire her? I would have!

No. She's an otherwise good employee and I did not feel as though she was drinking on the job or that it was even influencing her work tasks.

What I explained to her is that I addressed it to be forward on the expectation and for consistency across departments. In other departments an employee would have been relieved from their duty without pay, and subject to further disciplinary action.

[akey]

So did she have 3 or 4 beers the night before or immediately before showing up to work?

[Daniel75]

It's one thing to smell like a brewery after a night of drinking, you can't discipline someone for that, the problem is how can you smell the difference. I ain't gonna lie, I'm my younger days, I might have been intoxicated at work a few times after a night in the Stockyards.

[EastTexasMan]

How is she still within 90 days when she's been there

Oct, Nov, Dec, 24 days of January....

[TX_bowhunter37]

Fired

[dadogg]

We have very specific guidelines on this issue. We have to talk to them with another su
pervisor as witness and take to a "for cause testing" which will include urinalysis and a swab for alcohol.

If they can't control themselves for 90 days they either don't appreciate the job or understand the seriousness of their actions. I work on an union plant and the probation period is 9 months.

As a supervisor in this day and age not following the companies procedure will only put your job in danger. Your boss should have confronted the employee with you. Employees are less prone to direct confrontation with 2nd line management present

These days are different, in the 70's I would have not made 30 days by todays rules

[mboltm]

I am not sure what kind of business you are in or what her job is, but it would not fly with me, I have had folks come in hungover and still smell, but 3 or 4 beers for most people is legally over the limit, that is average on a 200lb person