Colleague drinking at work

👏Indeed.

Suspected to be drunk.

Focus on the snooping if you like. I'm focused on the guy with a warehouse job who's operating machinery when drunk.

Oh that's so sad about your dad, I'm sorry. I hope things improved for you all after he got help.

I find it outrageous that you went through his personal belongings. However, if you seriously suspect he is drinking on the job and it’s affecting his performance then you should speak to your/his manager.

Not really - snitching and snooping are two different things, aren't they?

But the various extents of rights and wrongs are not for OP - or posters on this thread - to decide!

Edit - which is why OP has to come clean about everything to management - drinking suspicions, bag rifling, the lot.

This is just one centimetre away from “snitches deserve stitches”.

Because she doesn't want to lose her job like her poor colleague might! Bloody unbelievable. Happy to ruin his life but save her own bacon!
This was not done from a place of care and concern, you snooped out of nosiness and to find "proof" of your suspicions - trust me this will backfire on you.

If there's a chance that he could cause injury to someone at work, then yes I'd have to say that I would report that I could smell alcohol on his breath throughout the day and his behaviour at work on a day to day basis has become noticeably more erratic. Sounds like he has lost his licence through DUI and is now risking his job.

It wasn't a good idea to go in his bag for "proof" but I guess you wanted to satisfy yourselves that what you suspected, was in fact true. However I'd leave that bit of info out. If you report, HR or whoever would know there's cause for concern and can do the requisite follow ups.

Ignore the posters who are being dramatic and saying you’ll be arrested. What a load of nonsense. You need to speak to your manager and say you have concerns as you can smell alcohol on him, and leave it as that. If there was a workplace accident, you’d feel guilty you didn’t say anything.

They should have not looked into his bag, we all know that. It is wrong. But the possible consequences of working on a warehouse while acting like drank are much much much higher!

What is your companies policy about drinking at work? My work has a very strict policy because of the nature of our job and so the procedure if you suspect someone is drinking at work is very clearly set out (and includes the option for OH to breathalyse someone). Against that we also provide counselling and a generous sick pay policy so while someone couldn't be on site they would get support.

That would be an act of omission.

You were being VVVVVVVU for looking in his backpack.

Why not mention the bag rifling? Why not be honest? Because there would be consequences?

Don’t mention the snooping if you are going to report to management.

OMG!!!
You have to report it!
Report his behaviour to your manager. They and HR need to look into it.

Say nothing of the bag search... whatever possessed you to do this! Never do things like this again. HR can, and will, do things like this indeed. At least, that was written on our contract in the plants I worked in- that we would agree to random searches. This should be in a contract for a warehouse too.

“I’m beginning to wish we hadn’t done it” doesn’t really shout contrition.

Both OP and the suspected drinker should be reported to the manager to investigate misconduct. OP could make this report herself - but she won’t, of course.

Thank you @Redbushteaforme. It’s everyone’s responsibility to look out for each other and customers/clients. Saying it’s “the company’s responsibility” means nothing, companies are made up of people!

I have direct reports who work at a different site to me. I really hope that if one of them was drunk at work someone would alert me or another manager. Not just decide it wasn’t their responsibility.

Six pages of the same thing.
Bag rifling, even if with good intentions is reprehensible.
The pissed up machinery operative should be reported on basis of breath and behaviour.

Meanwhile OP still being berated despite showing contrition.

Many seem to think this is a bigger issue than possible outcome of damage/injury/death caused by pissed up operative.

Oh it's full of these busy body, cancel culture arseholes falling over themselves to ruin people's lives. It's the sick world we currently inhabit in this Country.
Fucking Big Brother.

I'd be the one posting 'Did you have something you shouldn't in there?'.

I'm still amused by how long it took DP to actually get things rather than bring the entire thing over to me when I'd say 'can you get my phone/charger cable/whatever, please? It's in my bag'. It's not a big deal in my mind.

I find it hard to believe that anyone on here would actually be ok with finding out a colleague had secretly been through their personal belongings, however innocent they were. It’s an unbelievable invasion of privacy. Can you imagine the responses to a ‘I discovered my work colleague had rifled through my bag when I went to the loo’ thread?

Like post it on an online forum, you mean.