Nursery workers drinking at lunchtime.

I got a filthy look in a garden centre once. I didn't get why until she had left and the smell from the half whiskey barrels I was next to finally hit me.

I struggle to believe this is real, when I worked in a nursery I definitely never had the time to go for lunch at the pub 😂

No proof they were working. No proof they had alcohol. No case.

I got a filthy look once when I was heavily pregnant and holding my husbands pint while he was in the loo at a festival. Don’t jump to conclusions.

What if it wasn't wine? I don't drink when I am on call, not the company rule, but mine. So if I do go to the pub for a meal I drink non alcoholic drinks...Guinness zero, Thatchers zero, etc....if you report two adults for being in the pub that's what they will say they are drinking

as an aside, have any of the parents no here no had a drink then looked after children?

Either the manager says drinking at lunchtime is not against any policy and OP does nothing. Or manager says it is forbidden and OP decides whether to say anything. Perhaps she would say that she didn't want to report individuals as she didn't know if they were working/what they were drinking but staff could be reminded of the policy?

There are rules (in most companies) that you can't drink alcohol during lunch. They are there for a good reason. It has been proven that one glass is enough to alter your behaviour ( I think in Scotland you are not allowed any alcohol at all in your body while driving). I would be most unhappy especially as they are looking after vulnerable children.

I assume you mean because I only said other people’s children . The thread wasn’t about people drinking around their own children.

I know I’m ok to have a few glasses of wine around my children - I wouldn’t get drunk , but I know my limit. A glass or 2 on a meal out , or a glass in the evening - I know I’m capable of caring for my children . However , when you are caring for other people’s children regardless of if you know you’re ok , it’s not your choice - the parents don’t know you’re ok and it’s their choice as to whether they want that around their children .

When you are being paid to care for other people’s children in a professional capacity - and not just one child but a class / room full , changing babies , holding babies etc - I think it’s completely unacceptable and unprofessional.

You've been a right lucky bugger then!

In my work it is gross misconduct to drink alcohol during working hours and that includes any breaks. Cannot imagine why this wouldn't also be the case for staff in any role where they have responsibility for the safety of children. I'm astonished by people saying it's fine if they weren't legless.

No, this is not ok, any more than it would be OK for a teacher or a hcp or someone driving a vehicle for a living.

They should be reported, assuming they didn't have the afternoon off.

What do you mean “ it’s different with my own children “ ?

If they were in uniform, then I would report it. If they were finished for the day they should have changed clothes, optics are very important in that line of work. You could just say two members of staff rather than names. Maybe it was a one off birthday drink and never happened before, maybe it is part of a bigger issue that management have already addressed. I work in a nursery and would be quite upset if a colleague drank during work hours, yes you can have down time on a quiet day but part of the job is to be able jump into action when needed and even one drink affects this ability. I saw that as someone who loves a glass of wine!

Do you seriously think the nursery manager would not notice if the staff came back tipsy in to work? If no, then change nursery.
These ladies were enjoying their lunch time break or maybe had the rest of the day off. I would not pursue. But I would sniff discreetly when picking up my child and if I saw any sign of someone being under the influence I would talk to the manager and/or pull my child out.

This is exactly how rumours start you know absolutely nothing about the situation people often go for a drink after work or meet colleagues on day of.

Totally agree

If they were reported on the off chance then the nursery manager would be able to check in a minute whether they'd been on their lunch break or innocently starting their afternoon off with a well-earned glass or two of wine, and no harm would be done.

Mind you if the staff could get away with getting back from lunch with alcohol on their breath without managers or indeed parents at pick up spotting them then the nursery has far bigger problems. I can't imagine being able to get away with that.

Why would they get slagged off? The concern is that these people are working under the influence, not that they are drinking on holiday.

Indeed and yet somehow some have already decided these two women are guilty and need reporting despite no actual evidence.

Have you ever drunk alcohol free still wine? I promise you it's not worth paying pub prices for. In fact I'd probably pay good money to avoid drinking it.

If they'd had glasses/bottles of beer or fizzy wine in their hands I'd be happy to nod along with the "perhaps it was alcohol-free" argument, because that stuff is drinkable. And obviously tonic water is both drinkable and indistinguishable from a G&T.

I'm very unconvinced by the "perhaps it was tonic water/lemon squash" argument. Nothing looks like still white or red wine except alcohol-free wine, which is horrible.

But the OP doesn't know either of the following

A) If they were on their lunch hour
B) If it was wine (ie alcohol) they were drinking

These days it’s not appropriate. In the past I’m sure it happened more regularly! When I worked for a big bank in the 90s , 2 hour lunches at the pub were common .
It could’ve been an alcohol free version.

Alcohol during during the working day would not be allowed when engaging with and caring for children of any age. However, it might not have been wine at all. Its hard to imagine nursery staff being so careless about their work policies. As for looking "sheepish ", they probably were trying to avoid a work-related conversation with a parent during lunchtime (if they were at work, that is ). A lot of speculation and uncertainty here.

I disagree. But I’m a professional and wouldn’t dream of compromising my work by drinking any amount of alcohol. I’m pretty shocked that people think it’s ok. If you are an office worker and don’t need to make quick and complex decisions upon which lives are at stake then fine. I want my nursery workers to be able to deal with emergencies. I want my GP to have full access to their brain power so they don’t make a poor decision that could cost me my life.

This is the kind of thing where I would have had no issue in picking up the phone to the nursery manager at our nursery and asking for an off the record (in the first instance) chat. All that has to be said is that you saw two staff members drinking on x date at lunchtime and while there's very possibly an innocent explanation (ie they were on a half day or non working day) it stuck out to you as something that deserved a quick chat to es ire there isn't a safeguarding concern. For all you know there are already issues with these two staff members and by saying nothing then the management can do nothing to improve matters.
I trusted my DC's nursery and they trusted me. The children's care was a dialogue and a partnership between parents and carers, and I wasn't ever scared to speak frankly. (Who knows, maybe they thought I was a nightmare!!)
What jumps out at me here is that you're afraid to raise it and afraid of consequences- that doesn't strike me as a great relationship engendered in mutual trust.
New nursery time?