Asked was I drinking at work

MayaMaya

MayaMaya wrote: »

Nothing specific with me. He's the same with everyone; overly friendly with everyone one day and then really abrupt and snappy the next. He can speak very rudely to us all at times. He has very erratic moods.

Sounds like a narcissist..

antix80

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Sounds like a narcissist..

No it doesn't

beauf

steddyeddy wrote: »

Could he have been drinking. Just a thought. You could report him as talking about an empty alcohol bottle and rambling incoherently to his senior.

Thats about the only thing that makes sense. Someone else found the bottle and to deflect attention, he put the suspicion on someone else. Could be a reason for past erratic behavior and mood swings.

Yeah, ask him was he the one drinking. See how he likes it

steddyeddy

Better yet, report it too a supervisor that he has a history of erratic behaviour and he came up to you talking about drinking and accusing you of drinking the empty bottle he had on his person.

Bobtheman

My advice. Call HR and tell them what happened -let them speak to him and deal with informally. Most grievance procedures go nowhere. Plus do you really want to damage the guys career over something stupid he did. Just give HR a clear warning you will sue if it happened again. They will appreciate you took a mature approach. Ask that proper procedures be put in place

You go through these procedures and the words you and drink get repeated over and over again. Plus you make an enemy of the idiot involved-whom you will have to work with again. Long term

My advice-go to a lawyer or union rep to cover bases and then make informal complaint.
Yor career has not been damaged but if you make a huge fuss it might be

STB.

Dav010 wrote: »

Bet one of your co workers pointed the finger at you, are you sure you didn’t have a little tipple? Did you drink before on the job?

Regardless of what you think happened, the OP has come here seeking advice having been asked three times on a shop floor whether he/she had been drinking on the job.

That is inappropriate in itself. There is a place to ask such questions. Its not on the shop floor. There is also a need for tact in such a situation so that you are not accusing someone of something they did not do. Asking them three times is not tactful.

That you asked a fourth time shows up the person that you are.

"Are you sure you didn't have a little tipple" Honestly, read the thread before you put your size 12's in it.

Now OP, ask your colleagues where they approached in the same manner or at all. That will dictate how you approach your next step.

MayaMaya wrote: »

To be honest, I regret my lack of action at the time. I was so taken aback and embarrassed that I just kept saying that it wasn't me.
It was only when I asked my colleagues had they been asked and then discussing it with a friend of mine, that I thought I should do something about it.

I had missed this post. I am guessing the answer to the question is negative, i.e. your colleagues were not asked the same question. So you you were treated differently. Singled out.

Coupled with your opening post which claims that " I asked him to show me where the bottle was and he said it didn't matter because he had disposed of it. " This is an astonishing admission. A possibly made up scenario. Make no mistake, you are being targeted, and you need to escalate this as a grievance complaint in writing to your employer's head office. Only they can call their management to account.

boogerballs

I know its a late reply but....

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

Its actually not clear

So to quote the OP

Ducksinarow75 wrote: »

My manager approached me last week, on the shop floor, and asked me had I been drinking.
I was shocked and said absolutely not and why was he asking.

If that not clear to you I don't know what more be done!!

petros1980

antix80 wrote: »

Depends. Were you drinking?

Wanker. yes you are a wanker

petros1980

Dav010 wrote: »

Bet one of your co workers pointed the finger at you, are you sure you didn’t have a little tipple? Did you drink before on the job?

And look, another wanker here

Stheno

petros1980 wrote: »

And look, another wanker here

mod

Don't post in this thread again

B0jangles

beauf wrote: »

Thats about the only thing that makes sense. Someone else found the bottle and to deflect attention, he put the suspicion on someone else. Could be a reason for past erratic behavior and mood swings.

Exactly what I was thinking - maybe someone saw him stashing the bottle in the bin and this is his way of 'explaining' what he was doing.

Rubberchikken

the only way, i think, to get to the bottom of this is to report it to hr and have them get an honest and clear explanation from him and have it put on record.

his erratic behaviour towards you and others doesnt sound right.

Strumms

Rubberchikken wrote: »

the only way, i think, to get to the bottom of this is to report it to hr and have them get an honest and clear explanation from him and have it put on record.

his erratic behaviour towards you and others doesnt sound right.

Good suggestion. He sounds like a guy with issues who needs his cards marked.

Unfortunately you can’t always rely on management or HR though especially if it means they need to action against a manager/supervisor who is reporting directly to them. Sometimes in my experience they are often very hesitant to go down this road. Despite quite clear damming evidence.

What I would do is be ready to pick up on everything or anything he does, says etc... if he pulls say you and a colleague up about the office being a bit untidy and uses the term ‘fûcking pigsty’...report him for using ‘foul and abusive language’ you felt ‘intimidated’ by what he said and the manner in which he spoke to you. Get together with colleagues, be prepared if ‘needed’ to bully the bully...he then asks you to do overtime....say yes. Only when it comes to the time, leave on time and deny you were asked....

Let him loose his shît, drop another F bomb...the following day, report him again, claim he never asked you but there have been elements of his behavior that have been of concern to you, his temper, rushing to accusations against you, forgetfulness his personal hygiene etc, odor of alcohol and ‘strange’ tobacco....enough to give his managers room for thought and him to be under watch and hesitant to have anything to do with you, negatively anyway. :eek:

or just do the sensible thing, go to hr as suggested and avoid fantasy suggestions

ebbsy

Get a solicitor ASAP.

They will settle on the steps believe me.

Dav010

ebbsy wrote: »

Get a solicitor ASAP.

They will settle on the steps believe me.

Settle what?

MayaMaya

I've lodged a written complaint with senior management.
Will just have to wait and see what comes next.

ebbsy

MayaMaya wrote: »

I've lodged a written complaint with senior management.
Will just have to wait and see what comes next.

Your reputation has taken a hit.

Take it back.

holyhead

Without giving him cause to ask you, he had no right to ask. Particularly if you were singled out as you say you were. Daft thing for him to do. All he should talk to you about is work or the weather.

Miike

ebbsy wrote: »

Your reputation has taken a hit.

Take it back.

No one should ever stand up for them selves then to save their reputation and let these tyrants treat people how they see fit? Don't be ridiculous. No job is worth that shìte from anyone!

Good luck OP.

seannash

holyhead wrote: »

Without giving him cause to ask you, he had no right to ask. Particularly if you were singled out as you say you were. Daft thing for him to do. All he should talk to you about is work or the weather.

Can I just ask why were not allowed ask this question in the work place. How would you ask a person if you suspected they had been drinking? ( I know the OP wasn't but what if he had been)
Can we not ask an employee a question without everyone turning all Helen Lovejoy on us.
The false outrage is embarrassing. The OP was asked a question whether he was doing something in work. They said no.
Also what if the manager asked the next employee and they admitted it was them but doesn't want to admit it to the OP that they were asked does the manager have to continue to ask every single other employee despite knowing who it was.
Should all those other employees be outraged.
How does someone get to the bottom of an issue without asking direct questions to people

Dav010

seannash wrote: »

Can I just ask why were not allowed ask this question in the work place. How would you ask a person if you suspected they had been drinking? ( I know the OP wasn't but what if he had been)
Can we not ask an employee a question without everyone turning all Helen Lovejoy on us.
The false outrage is embarrassing. The OP was asked a question whether he was doing something in work. They said no.
Also what if the manager asked the next employee and they admitted it was them but doesn't want to admit it to the OP that they were asked does the manager have to continue to ask every single other employee despite knowing who it was.
Should all those other employees be outraged.
How does someone get to the bottom of an issue without asking direct questions to people

Plus the question was asked without anyone else hearing it, so what reputational damage was done is not clear to me, if anything the op going around asking others if they were also questioned drew more attention to her. The manager found a bottle of alcohol and as you would expect, asked those working if they had been drinking. I don’t see any accusations in the ops post, the op confirmed it was not done in front of others, and as you said, others may not wish to admit they were asked.

Apparently the manager should have just been satisfied to let someone drink on the job rather than asking.

Ash.J.Williams

Strumms wrote: »

Good suggestion. He sounds like a guy with issues who needs his cards marked.

Unfortunately you can’t always rely on management or HR though especially if it means they need to action against a manager/supervisor who is reporting directly to them. Sometimes in my experience they are often very hesitant to go down this road. Despite quite clear damming evidence.

What I would do is be ready to pick up on everything or anything he does, says etc... if he pulls say you and a colleague up about the office being a bit untidy and uses the term ‘fûcking pigsty’...report him for using ‘foul and abusive language’ you felt ‘intimidated’ by what he said and the manner in which he spoke to you. Get together with colleagues, be prepared if ‘needed’ to bully the bully...he then asks you to do overtime....say yes. Only when it comes to the time, leave on time and deny you were asked....

Let him loose his shît, drop another F bomb...the following day, report him again, claim he never asked you but there have been elements of his behavior that have been of concern to you, his temper, rushing to accusations against you, forgetfulness his personal hygiene etc, odor of alcohol and ‘strange’ tobacco....enough to give his managers room for thought and him to be under watch and hesitant to have anything to do with you, negatively anyway. :eek:

do not do any of this

holyhead

seannash wrote: »

Can I just ask why were not allowed ask this question in the work place. How would you ask a person if you suspected they had been drinking? ( I know the OP wasn't but what if he had been)
Can we not ask an employee a question without everyone turning all Helen Lovejoy on us.
The false outrage is embarrassing. The OP was asked a question whether he was doing something in work. They said no.
Also what if the manager asked the next employee and they admitted it was them but doesn't want to admit it to the OP that they were asked does the manager have to continue to ask every single other employee despite knowing who it was.
Should all those other employees be outraged.
How does someone get to the bottom of an issue without asking direct questions to people

To ask if someone is drunk or consuming alcohol is to question their professionalism. The OP indicates that the manager had

1. No cause to ask
2. Only asked him.

If someone is intoxicated then yes the manager has every right to ask. But he must have just cause to ask!

Dav010

holyhead wrote: »

To ask if someone is drunk or consuming alcohol is to question their professionalism. The OP indicates that the manager had

1. No cause to ask
2. Only asked him.

If someone is intoxicated then yes the manager has every right to ask. But he must have just cause to ask!

So it’s only ok to ask employees when they show signs of being drunk, not ok to ask if they have been drinking?

Others may not wish to acknowledge they were asked/suspected.

I suspect the cause was the bottle, and without asking, how is the manager to try and find out who it was?

tuxy

Dav010 wrote: »

So it’s only ok to ask employees when they show signs of being drunk, not ok to ask if they have been drinking?

Others may not wish to acknowledge they were asked/suspected.

I suspect the cause was the bottle, and without asking, how is the manager to try and find out who it was?

But he only asked one employee, with no evidence he singled one person out.

CramCycle

Dav010 wrote: »

So it’s only ok to ask employees when they show signs of being drunk, not ok to ask if they have been drinking?

Others may not wish to acknowledge they were asked/suspected.

I suspect the cause was the bottle, and without asking, how is the manager to try and find out who it was?

You send out a general email, or have a meeting and say that its not acceptable behviour and there are discplinary procedures in place for such behaviour. They are overlooking it this time to take the opportunity to remind everyone of their HR policies but also that if anyone feels that they may have an issue, they should feel free to approach management or HR to see if they can do anything to help, unrelated to the bottle.

MayaMaya

MayaMaya wrote: »

I've lodged a written complaint with senior management.
Will just have to wait and see what comes next.

Good. The least you can do. You cannot let this slide as your reputation is your career. At the very least, you must clear your name and mark this guy's cards. At least. You cannot be singled out for such treatment.

From now on I'd focus on the details of what happened, and record them. For the future, it's imperative you write things down. Be very attentive to dates, times and witnesses. Really be sharp as a whistle about all three. Write things down as soon as possible before you forget. Take out your phone, and just start typing it up (with times and dates) and then email it to yourself. If you see this individual approach again, press the record button on your phone. It doesn't matter whether it is or is not permissible in court, but it does matter that critical people who may disbelieve you can hear it. If possible, think about how cctv could assist you (many/most workplaces have hidden cameras which only management are aware of).

Yes, an earlier poster is probably correct when they said you will in future probably get crap jobs from the same supervisor or his friends, and that he or they will be waiting in the long grass for you. Record it, because if there's a pattern of mistreatment your records will find it. However, it is also possible that management may move him and make your working environment healthier (they would be petrified of negative publicity).

Moreover, as somebody else said no job is worth this sort of treatment. Say what happened in a clear, honest, factual, focused and dignified way. Be respectful to senior management, but let them know you feel aggrieved. Have clarity on right and wrong, and your rights. If you're in a union, it will cost you nothing to consult them; they usually have somebody who knows your rights well and often is aware of any relevant industrial relations history of the manager in question. They will also probably offer to attend any meeting you may have. Bring up any context when asked; do not complicate things at this stage. Lastly, there is a shortage of workers in so many areas now that you probably need them less than they need you; and anyway, 8 years is a long enough time in one place unless you're getting regular promotions/salary increases. You're 100% correct not to sell yourself, and your dignity, short by letting this slide. If this turns into a pattern, your life will be hell. You must prevent that by marking cards now.

MayaMaya

Deleted User wrote: »

Good. The least you can do. You cannot let this slide as your reputation is your career. At the very least, you must clear your name and mark this guy's cards. At least. You cannot be singled out for such treatment.

From now on I'd focus on the details of what happened, and record them. For the future, it's imperative you write things down. Be very attentive to dates, times and witnesses. Really be sharp as a whistle about all three. Write things down as soon as possible before you forget. Take out your phone, and just start typing it up (with times and dates) and then email it to yourself. If you see this individual approach again, press the record button on your phone. It doesn't matter whether it is or is not permissible in court, but it does matter that critical people who may disbelieve you can hear it. If possible, think about how cctv could assist you (many/most workplaces have hidden cameras which only management are aware of).

Yes, an earlier poster is probably correct when they said you will in future probably get crap jobs from the same supervisor or his friends, and that he or they will be waiting in the long grass for you. Record it, because if there's a pattern of mistreatment your records will find it. However, it is also possible that management may move him and make your working environment healthier (they would be petrified of negative publicity).

Moreover, as somebody else said no job is worth this sort of treatment. Say what happened in a clear, honest, factual, focused and dignified way. Be respectful to senior management, but let them know you feel aggrieved. Have clarity on right and wrong, and your rights. If you're in a union, it will cost you nothing to consult them; they usually have somebody who knows your rights well and often is aware of any relevant industrial relations history of the manager in question. They will also probably offer to attend any meeting you may have. Bring up any context when asked; do not complicate things at this stage. Lastly, there is a shortage of workers in so many areas now that you probably need them less than they need you; and anyway, 8 years is a long enough time in one place unless you're getting regular promotions/salary increases. You're 100% correct not to sell yourself, and your dignity, short by letting this slide. If this turns into a pattern, your life will be hell. You must prevent that by marking cards now.

Brilliant post. Thank you.