Nursery workers drinking at lunchtime.

In a pub a short walk away from the nursery?middle of day?

Yeah they were on their break no doubt

This thread is bonkers.

A couple of women having lunch. That's the single only thing that anyone knows about them. Every other thing is conjecture both on the part of the OP and subsequent posters.

Had the op been that concerned she could have had an actual conversation with them. Their 'sheepish' look was more likely to be a 'Bloodyhell we can't get away from parents even on our day off' look

People need to get a life.

Absolutely not acceptable and most likely a sacking offence

Wtf that is outrageous. I'd be fuming.

You don’t know if they were drinking alcohol, you don’t know how much if indeed they were, you don’t even know if they were working that day. So yabu.

I work in an office and don´t drink alcohol during my lunchtime. I may have 0.0 beer, which I pour into a glass and the waiter wisks the bottle away, so you could assume I was having beer with alcohol. I would not be ok with nursery workers drinking alcohol between shifts but the situation you are describing looks like they were there after work. So I would keep schtum.

What you could do is ask the nursery what their policy is, then you know.

I would expect there to be a rule of no drinking for a role that involves possibly having to administer first aid or respond to emergency situations whilst caring for other people's children in a professional capacity.

A close friend of mine was chastised for doing exactly this recently. She had previously run an entire nursery herself and is now taking sub work in various nurseries that are understaffed. She was told it was an official warning as drinking and working after, under the influence (to whatever degree) was not tolerated. Further incidents would result in being fired for gross misconduct.

There's probably something official somewhere about this, but I don't know where to direct you for that.

I've worked in a school next to a pub and it wasn't common for anyone to go there for a lunch break. We were so badly paid that it wouldn't be a typical thing you'd do if you hadn't brought lunch in; you'd either have a school dinner or get a meal deal.

They were most likely finished for the day or on training or something (not working with the children) and 'treating' themselves.

If you can't understand the difference then I'm not sure how to explain it to you tbh - it's obvious surely (and discussed upthread if not).

That seems to be the sum of it.

I love all the people jumping to conclusions about them drinking several glasses of wine and drink driving, as well.

It shows the lack of respect people have for workers in the caring sectors, doesn't it. They are clearly too stupid to moderate their drinking, or walk to the pub.

That aside, if they were working in the afternoon, I don't think it was wise to have alcohol. You need a clear head to work with kids!

If this is the case then they’re free to do as they want.

if they were going back to work to supervise children and babies then I’d have thought it would be a zero tolerance approach.

tbh after one large glass of wine I can feel my reactions a bit dulled and would struggle to sit all afternoon at my office job so I wouldn’t fancy being in charge of the welfare of multiple children

A few years ago when I worked in a preschool we finished work at 1 just before Christmas and manager brought us all a couple of rounds in the local pub.
As we were leaving a parent came up furious that we'd been drinking, even when the manager explained we weren't going back to work as we were on Christmas holiday. She reported us to Ofsted, but obviously nothing came of it.
I just find it hard to believe nursery staff would go drinking and then go back to work. I'm sure 99% of nurseries would sack their staff to that.

I wouldn’t drink alcohol during working hours.
However any parent drinking alcohol whilst in sole charge of their dc is just as bad surely.

No absolutely shouldn't be drinking at lunch! I'm not allowed to drink at lunch and I just have a desk job not looking after babies.
Assuming they definitely were going back to work not having the afternoon off?

Nothing to report, it's been and gone now, can't prove anything.
Before thinking of reporting in future tho I'd make sure you have concrete evidence. There was lots of "don't knows" with your acquisitions.

Are you sure they were definitely going back to work? They might have been off early or on a training day with just other adults so no kids to care for? Id say it's not ideal if they were caring for kids after. If they didn't have much food it could affect their ability a little bit, two glasses in the sunshine.
I mean, can teachers drink at lunch? Surely if alcohol was smelt upon them it wouldn't look good. Your baby might end up smelling of booze? Lol. That's a bit extreme. I guess if I liked them and genuinely thought they were good then I'd not say anything. I'd make sure I knew the facts too before I did.
I'm presuming it would be a sackable offence? Or maybe not.

I can understand the posters arguing that it's more than likely the women weren't working that afternoon.

The ones arguing that it's totally fine for nursery workers to have a glass of wine at lunch and that anyone who objects is That Parent are blowing my mind.

I've also had an hour in all but one of my jobs, but I work in an office, not a nursery. In many offices there is also tolerance about taking more time some days and less on other days or even official flexi time so going out for lunch is totally doable.
I'm glad I don't work in a nursery.

100% This

I loved the way the OP assumed they 'looked a little sheepish' because she had caught them day drinking and not that they were hoping she wouldn't come over and start questioning why her little one had paint on her t.shirt last week and to check if the new felt pens were non toxic.

Being tired would have even more effect on someone than one glass of wine and it's not against the law/rules to go to work tired (unless you're a HGV driver maybe).

Do not report them

It could be a total one off

One glass of wine

They could be on a half day

Their pay is awful

The work they have to do is sometimes very hard

Don't do it

I would never in their shoes do this but please just do not make their lives hard

Why? ?!!!!!!

Doesn't sound like they were drunk though.

It’s not about ‘feeling’ drunk. It’s the effect on your brain and how it functions. You might not notice any difference until there is something urgent and you need to make a quick decision. Like a child choking, for example.

It seems inappropriate to report them unless you know they were working that afternoon - but can you check this with the nursery? If they were, they shouldn't be drinking.