huge mistake

[Plumspearsbanana]

I manage a small team of people at a private clinic. Person A has the responsibility to lock up confidential information (including samples) at the close of business each day and oversee CCTV is live. Person B works on front desk.

Recently there was a security breach. Some samples were stolen and confidential information went missing. A hadn’t locked up on one of the nights. Due to the severity of this breach I had to let A go.

B confesses that on that particular night A and B had stayed after close of business as A was upset about a personal matter and they had a few drinks and chat at work. A was a bit worse for wear and B promised to do the lock up for them before stumbling home. B forgot to do this and also ensure CCTV was in use. B was also drunk and forgot to do this too.

A has since tried to take her own life and is on life support. B is distraught as she feels responsible.

I hope and pray A makes a full recovery, but I am not sure how to deal with B?

B also needs letting go. It’s hypocritical to let A go and not B when she said she’d lock up.

B needs to be sacked, immediately. Drinking at work alone is gross misconduct and enough of a reason to fire them.

What A did is not your fault. Always remember that.

Agree with Pps about B.

Sack B too.

They got pissed at work and didn’t perform their duties. This is on them. Sack them both. This isn’t your fault.

Firstly, it is A’s fault. It was their job to lock up and sort CCTV. They can’t get drunk and pass the job onto another colleague and then try to claim it wasn’t their fault that the job wasn’t done.

It was A’s job. They didn’t do it. Sacking them was correct. Anything A did afterwards is totally on them, no one else.

B also needs sacked for drinking at work. They can’t stay on the premises and get drunk.

Sack B and bring together a group of senior leaders at the business to manage the communications you have with your customers/patients about this breach and to review your processes so that it can't happen again.

I also think you should probably be speaking with your professional liability insurance provider in anticipation of any claims.

With regard to A, I think you should keep your distance and not try to make contact.

It’s also surprising that on the one night that things weren’t locked up, there was a theft. That is an unusual coincidence. Someone tried to steal something the only time when it was actually open with no CCTV?

You must sack B and, especially if you don't, watch out for your own job as well when the shit hits the fan.

Good point
Also, if you have CCTV why not just let it run at all times, rather than having to switch ot on every evening?

This.

What A did isn’t on you. They would have had other things going in their life.

Agree with other PP it is suspicious. B definitely needs to be sacked

Possibly for the sensitivity of what the clinic do; they don’t want to record their patients coming and going. They just want to record overnight for anything untoward.

One of them probably blabbed to someone

The one night the CCTV wasn't one there was a theft- that is highly suspicious, unless theft is common?

What kind of clinic is this where there’s alcohol around - enough for 2 people to get drunk enough to forget their usual locking up routine and “stumble” home?

Are you changing facts for privacy and they work in a pub?!

Anyway, that aside you’re a shit manager if your idea of guidance is to turn to MN - and not even an employment or legal section. Disciplining let alone sacking people is a serious business well covered by law. If you haven’t got the sense to discuss that with HR instead of MN, you should be a manager.

I'd imagine, if this is true, and you are a Senior Manager posting something fairly identifiable on Mumsnet, the entire business needs a Governance and Ethics review.

@Testina

Should not be a manager, I'd have thought.

This is either a fake, or that workplace is a shit-show.

Sounds like you need some stronger policies in place and proper HR support rather than turning to this forum.

As for people saying you should just sack B.
Please get your employment law advice elsewhere.
B was not responsible for the locking up or the CCTV.
Just because she offered to do it, doesn’t necessarily make it a sackable offence that she didn’t do it - because it wasn’t her responsibility.
As for drinking at work… this sounds like out of hours, and plenty of alcohol on site.
If it’s not unusual for people to have alcohol on site and it to be drunk after working hours, it’s not necessarily a sackable offence.
It’s a very odd set up and as I said, I wonder if you’ve changed some details.
But if that was a pub and someone stayed for a pint after work, you couldn’t sack them for drinking.
So ignore the advice that you’re foolish and a poor manager for seeking here, and do this properly.
You’d think with the shitshow of one suicide attempt after your handling of a sacking, you’d approach this one with more professionalism.

This is highly identifiable, if true. Are you really saying they went out to buy alcohol and came back to work or was the alcohol on the premises?

Are you trying out ideas for a book?!

Was initially tempted to say that Person B should also be let go given that A was let go for essentially not doing her job properly but I guess whether or not you can let B go for not locking up depends on how your HR sees it. It’s obviously wrong not to look after confidential information and CCTV when you took it upon yourself to do it but technically it isn’t among B’s responsibilities to do that anyway, so I am not actually sure that B can be sacked for not doing something that’s not her job. I might be wrong here. Probably best to consult HR.

🤣 It’s like a self publish Judi Piccoult isn’t it?