Colleague possibly drinking alcohol on the sly at work

[WhoBobWhatPants]

There's a bloke where I work (an office of 11 plus Directors),who’s been with us since February, who I think has been drinking alcohol while he's at work.

Throughout the day he goes to his car regularly, between 6-8 times a day, and 'fiddles about', quite a lot with a bottle, like moving it from the front to the back if he's giving a lift or stopping 20-50yds down the road to have a drink of it after leaving work for the day (which I've seen myself)

Today it's come out while a few of us were talking in the office, that 5 out of the 11 of us have noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath after he's been out to the car.

There are 2 bosses 'we' could go to, but one of them has been done for drink/driving themselves (which may skew his take on the matter, albeit he knows it was an idiotic choice on his part following a big night out) and I can't help wondering what may happen if they ask the bloke about it.

What if he denies it, or he hasn't been drinking alcohol, or hasn't been drinking more than the equivalent of a half at lunchtime, or says he has been but will stop straight away, how can they make sure he has?

The main thing for me is whether he's drinking and then going out in his car, but as it's not 100% certain he is drinking alcohol, short of the police catching him in the act, how can anyone know whether he is or not?

I have thought about just going to the police myself, but rather than that, wouldn't the next step in the process be to go to my bosses because of not being totally certain he is drinking?

He's actually a really nice person and does a good job which makes it harder to 'grass him up' when there's a possibility he might just be swigging mineral water (if he was then why not bring it into the office?).

I know it's come to a time where something has to be done. It doesn't feel right to go to him directly and 'accuse' him, so if I go to my bosses is that doing enough to stop him drink driving (if he is)?

If I go to the police it's too hit and miss as to whether they'd be able to catch him at it, if they did anything at all, and how long would they take? Would he be back driving his car home on Monday pissed? (And aren't the police the easy option so nobody in the office has to take responsibility for accusing him.)

So it's back to the bosses and them asking him.

It's a vicious circle.

Gah!

I have a lovely bright bubbly teenage relative who is now in a wheelchair thanks to a drunk driver.
I wish someone had reported that driver and I hope anyone who knew of his drunk driving can live with themselves now.

WillowB :

There is nothing in the OP's postings that suggests driving is this man's job. From the posts, it simply appears that he is an office worker who uses his car to commute to / from work.

If it transpires that driving is his job, (which I don't believe it is), then your analogy would become relevant.

But he's driving to and from work so it is relevant.
My point was why should the OP wait for his work to suffer when she could potentially prevent the situation from escalating now?
My colleague was mortified when her drinking became apparent. As well as being embarrassed she now risks listing her job and SS intervention with her own kids. It didn't need to get that far.

*losing

Doesn't your work have a policy about being under the influence? We drug test everyone who is offered a job (and have retracted offers because of the results) and have a strict policy that if you suspect someone is under the influence at work it has to be reported to their manager and they get breath tested there and then and as an absolute minimum would be sent home in a taxi (with an interview with HR the next day).

I'm quite shocked so many people think it's not a concern of this man's employers, is is still like an episode of Mad Men in some industries?

So, I'd obviously report to the directors asap, if the jokey one won't deal with it appropriately then report again when the other one is back. But also phone the police if you are concerned about him drink driving.

WillowB

The teacher analogy is not relevant, as it confuses drinking in a role that requires public safety of vulnerable individuals, with (allegedly) drinking in a role that seemingly does not, unless the OP clarifies that it does.

There are potentially only 2 separate issues in the OP's colleagues,

1. there could be a work quality issue unrelated to public safety,
2. there could be a legal / criminal issue to do with road safety.

I do not think it appropriate for colleagues to raise mere suspicions about either of these to employers, because:

1. Employers and managers know to look for low productivity / employee work quality issues. No need for co-workers to start raising doubts, possibly unfounded, about colleague job productivity or capability. His work may never suffer. Managers are usually perfectly capable of spotting work performance issues for themselves if they arise, as that is a core part their management role.

2. Legal / criminal issues e.g. drink driving, are police business, not employer business, and should be notified accordingly.
   Employers do not have an automatic right to anyone's criminal record, even less so to mere suspicions, and that is exactly as it should be, bar certain obvious roles involving care of elderly or children, positions of trust etc.

I reiterate my caveat that police notification should be done after speaking with the colleague openly and honestly and expressing the various safety concerns directly with him.

Someone I know lost their license due to epilepsy but kept driving to work because it was a short distance and didn't matter. He was really open about that. Another friend who works with them (and who I know) had a quiet word but was very clear she was concerned and would feels she had to raise it with the relevant authorities if he kept doing it. He stopped. Would doing something similar help here?

What sort of job does he do? Does it involve driving? I agree setting him up is cruel, although I totally understand people's views of drink driving. I would see if the company has a drugs and alcohol policy, speak to a manager or HR about it, or directly to him. There is obviously something going on that he needs support with and not setting up!

He's not being 'set up' he would be tested for potentially breaking the law and going out and killing someone. how would you feel if he left work crashed into you and killed one of your kids and you found out half his office suspected he was a drink driver but didn't want to hurt his feelings by acting on it.

If anyone has even the slightest suspicion that someone is about to drink drive let alone that they're a persistent offender I can't think why they'd hesitate for even a moment to report it

If he took me talking to him openly as me talking to him as a colleague briainfidget, that would be me going over the directors heads and taking on a responsibility that isn't mine.

For all I know they have their own procedure to follow if they knew about it (as it's never come up since I've been there, I'm not quite sure), or they may have employed him knowing he's had a problem in the past and would need to know if anything like this came up.

For all I know he isn't actually drinking alcohol at work! If I didn't tell the directors now and had a word with him first, it'd also be up to me to assess whether or not he's stopped, and I don't feel qualified to make those decisions.

If he's drinking and driving Funky, does he deserve a chance to stop on his own? He shouldn't drive even one more time if he is drinking at work.

No driving yummum, (although it is a company car, which I haven't mentioned because I didn't think it was relevant, the directors would be concerned with whether he was drinking at work and driving and not that he might do something to the car) and he doesn't work with vulnerable people or anything. There aren't any problems with the work he does as far as I know.

Don't be a tell tale sneak
Are you for real?
This person is quite likely to be driving under the influence of alcohol, an act that puts other people at significant risk. It is the moral duty of anyone aware of that, to do something about it!!
Moral responsibility, not tell tale sneak.

WineWineWine

I'd appreciate it if you didn't cherrypick snippets of a post in order to take deliberate offence both out of context and unnecessarily.

Please feel free to refer back and read my entire post carefully; that would be including the bit about referring drink driving to the police.

I think you should speak to your manager/HR person/one of the directors. You should express your concerns and say that if your concern continues about him potentially driving while drinking, you will quite soon feel the need to contact the police to check.

If he is at work drunk, then being called on it is as likely to be of benefit to him than not. It will certainly be of benefit to the company. If he isn't and has an explanation, better to have the situation cleared up rather than have his colleagues suspecting him of something he isn't doing.

If he isn't driving under the influence then a police stop will be of no consequence to him. If he is then it was necessary to report him.

A guy in one of our offices (US) went out on a drinking session with work colleagues after work. he got into a company car afterwards - drunk - drove the wrong way down the highway and killed 2 kids. He spent significant time in prison and the company was named in the lawsuit (USA) because it was our car. As it happened, there was no prior knowledge of him drinking (in fact evidence was he usually didn't but who knows) but if there was and his colleagues had ignored it, how would they feel?

He may be drink driving.

It needs reporting to the police.

Nothing to do with work and I would be appalled if they got involved in such a matter (in the sense that a colleague shouldn't be making the report to the police).

As for the work issue, I agree with going to the directors. Is there a policy in being drunk at work or being convicted for drink driving?

What does it matter that he doesn't drive as part of his job? If you know someone has had a drink and then drives, in whatever circumstances, you should report. It's illegal to do so, and will have huge ramifications if he has an accident/kills himself/someone else....I can't understand that if you suspect someone is doing something illegal, you don't report it.

How would you feel if you didn't report, and he went on to mow an innocent person down whilst under the influence? I would rather be proven wrong than have to live with that for the rest of my life

He may not drive as part of his job, but he has a company car, so this does need bringing to your bosses attention.

I used to work in the civil service, in MOD. If we suspected anyone had been drinking enough to impair their ability to work, as a manager I wasn't allowed to send them home drunk. I was classed as unqualified as I'm not a medical professional. To have someone dealt with if they'd been drinking too much I had to get one of the doctors in to certify it.

A drink at lunch would be fine, but we did at least have a policy to cover excessive drinking. I do feel lucky that I never had to make the call to bring a doctor in. One of my colleagues had a member of staff who was alcoholic and it became a nightmare to deal with.

I'm astounded that anyone thinks it's unreasonable to go to the police. If he is drink driving then he's a dangerous criminal, and while management are busy trying to schedule a meeting to talk about the report of his drinking, he may kill a child on his way home that day.

Yes alcoholism is a disease, and yes he may be depressed and even suidical if his world comes crashing down around him, but that doesn't give him permission to put others in danger because of his illness.

If he was alternating his work computer screen with child pornography images, would people just have a quiet word with management? Turn a blind eye because he did his job well and it was none of their business? Give him a chance to sort the problem put himself?

If you're right and he's drinking at work, then management should be informed and they can make their own decisions re disciplinary hearing etc. If he's putting the public in danger then this is a relevant issue to anyone in the community.

If he's not drinking then he has nothing to fear. I wouldnt care if I was stopped and breathalysed a few times. I never drink and drive.

This is exactly te type of attitude that allowed JS to get away with his crimes for so long.

I personally would approach management about this first. It may be as has been already posted that this is a medical issue (there are various medications that can make your breath smell like alcohol).

They won't be able to tell you what is going on but they may tell you that they are aware of the situation. So it may not be alcohol related.

I can't believe anyone is seriously suggesting to talk gently to him first. If it gives him one more chance to drive drunk (if that is what is happening) then that could be the day he hits and kills someone, a child even. Only takes one time.

Normally I'd say. yes, be kind, give someone a chance. Not when it puts someone else's life at risk.

I would be calling the police that day, if necessary go out at lunch to make the call.

OP reporting this man for drink driving is nothing to do with work- the managers cannot be annoyed that an individual reported someone for this.

I don't understand why people think it's a bad thing to report him, they won't disclose who called and if he hasn't had a drink they will send him on his way. If he drove home from work next week and killed someone how would that make you feel, knowing that you didn't even attempt to report him?

In my opinion it's up to you whether you report him at work, that's a different matter to the police for driving.

I agree that there is absolutely no need to have a quiet word with him. What on earth do people think that is going to achieve. If he is drinking as suspected, then he has a serious problem. A quiet word from a colleague might make him cover his tracks a little better but it is delusional to think that your words would have a positive effect on the situation. And how long do you then have to allow to see a change. What happens if it seems a bit better most days but other days you're not so sure? You have then also outed yourself for when you feel you have to report him, after he has another few weeks of behaving the same way (more sneakily), so he then blames you for getting him caught.
Just report him. If he is breaking the law, he will be off the road and the roads will be a safer place for it.

'I don't understand why people think it's a bad thing to report him,'

I can only conclude that they drink and drive themselves

I think the drinking at work issue is a matter for the managers so I don't agree with going to them if you're not his supervisior.. And I don't agree with having a quiet word with the person either. They obviously have a problem if your suspicions are correct. About the suspected drink driving. Not sure what I'd do here. Because if there is ever, heaven forbid, an accident then you'll probably wish you had done something.

I agree that the drinking at work and the drink driving are two completely separate issues.

"If he was alternating his work computer screen with child pornography images, would people just have a quiet word with management? Turn a blind eye because he did his job well and it was none of their business? Give him a chance to sort the problem put himself?"

Sadly yes I suspect they would.

I work in the public sector. I do not deal with the public or vulnerable people. Realistically I could have a day asleep at my desk and no one would notice. But if my productivity had dropped because I was drinking at work I'd expect ot to be dealt with and it would be everyone's business.