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?

It’s called Baby Fever. It was very good!

@Molowolo what was it called? Was it worth watching?

Baby Fever? I'm going to look that up..

What are you? Stephen King's ghost writer🤣
Gave me goose bumps

I think it’s a bloody reverse, the OP seems to have left the building. On the off chance it isn’t I think B needs sacking too.

im putting that on my Netflix list. I remember seeing the title last time I dog sat for my friend. I'm back again in a week, so can watch it then.

@viques you can't sack B, for not doing A's job

Oh I am just going with the flow! 🙂Sorry B, but how rat arsed did you both get?

This is a catastrophic situation and your first thought is to tell the world post it on Mumsnet??

I get the drinks after work thing, but wouldn’t you do the complicated locking up etc before going to the pub.

And it’s very unlucky that there was a break in on that one night.

I think you should be putting your question to HR or someone familiar with employment law. Does your organisation’s policy specifically state that alcohol must not be consumed on the premises ? If so it’s a disciplinary matter as both A and B were involved in a breach of policy - but I don’t see how you can sack B for not locking up or ensuring CCTV coverage if it wasn’t their responsibility or specified in their job description. I think you need to investigate how the theft came to take place on the same night as the security breach, because that’s a big coincidence and there may be more than meets the eye. You need to be careful you’re within the law before you do anything.

This sounds like a terrible plot for a book and I read some pretty trashy ones. OP needs to work on plugging the loopholes

It is A's fault not B's, as it was her job and responsibility to do it. She shouldn't have left it to someone else whose job it isn't, but should've taken responsibility to do it herself.

I hope they both get the help they need from professionals as needs be.

You haven't done anything wrong in sacking someone after something so major.

B hasn't failed to do anything in the role she's employed to do, except she shouldn'tve got drunk on the premises presumably/ideally.

Apologies WomanStanley, did not mean to quote you. My post is directed at OP.

This plot has more holes than the Titanic. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Surely when discovering the theft, you’d contact the Police to report the matter and they’d investigate and ask how the thieves knew the place wasn’t secured and cctv switched on?

Both employees would be interviewed separately to ascertain the facts.

Initially, A would be the Prime suspect because they ‘forgot’ to switch on the cctv and lock up?

The suicide attempt puts A’s alibi under further scrutiny and also why does B change her story 2 weeks later to implicate herself?

Budget marketing for the Netflix show, which has a very Mumsnet plot?

The fertility clinic one? Yes! 😂😂

1. B can offer help and A can choose to accept. However, the consequences of that decision are still A’s responsibility. You can’t abdicate responsibility because someone offers to cover one of your tasks.

2. In an emergency, A’s first port of call would surely be her manager, who could decide how to handle it. If the manager was not contactable, A would have to make a judgement call and take responsibility for the outcome. In a genuine emergency, I would expect A to get some leeway.

However, there was no emergency. A simply got too pissed to lock up themselves and let someone else who was also pissed - but not in a position of responsibility - take over. A’s fault.

3. Drinking in the workplace and being drunk and incapable whilst working are two different things. One is indeed commonplace - just look at how many companies advertise free drinks on a Friday as a job perk. The other is dangerous and a disciplinary matter.

OP could argue that B shouldn’t have been at work after hours, and certainly not drunk. But what she can’t do is discipline B for A’s bad judgement call.

It's an amazing coincidence...

They should both have been fired; getting drunk at work is not appropriate.

what show was it? I wanna watch it now 😅

Baby fever

Absolutely is in some workplaces, mine included.

Nope. Not in any job I have worked in.

Tasks can often be reassigned. Due to a variety of reasons.

Many jobs, exekct you to get cover if you can not fulfil your duty.

Yes. BOTH of them were pissed.

Hardly any companies offer free drinks on a Friday afternoon anymore. And most companies have a strict no drinking on site or in work hours policy. Even how you behave on a ‘work do’ can lead you to being sacked. Even if not on site.

These are absolutely sackable offences.

It does all sound odd particularly the theft just randomly happening the one night they forgot to lock up. I would question if getting drunk at work was something they regularly did after hours and if someone was watching them aware of that fact or if one of them committed the theft themselves.

B at the very least needs a written warning for drinking on and allowing a colleague to drink on the premises to point that neither of them could bite their finger and putting the business at risk.

Well maybe it’s industry dependent. I would take massive issue with your suggestion that “hardly any” companies offer this. Maybe I’m getting incredibly lucky, but this is mentioned as a perk of almost every job I’m approached about - and I’ve never worked anywhere with a no drinking no site policy. We’re talking multinationals here.

Your Christmas do example doesn’t make sense, because personal misconduct is a different issue. What some people on timid thread are essentially suggesting is that B should be sacked for a mistake A made. That’s very different to doing a topless conga and calling the MD a cunt after too many cocktails.