Nursery workers drinking at lunchtime.

[Brendathedoll]

Had a rare day off yesterday so went for a pub lunch with my sister. In there I saw 2 nursery nurses from my child’s daycare having lunch and they each had a glass of wine. There were also 2 empty glasses in the table but possibly from previous customers. I wasn’t happy but my sister says it’s there lunchtime they don’t get paid for and 2 glasses won’t make any difference. They saw me and looked a bit sheepish but it means I can’t report them anon now. I’m scared if I say something they would treat my child differently. Am I being ott thinkinb they shouldn’t drink while caring for kids?

But you were ready to based on no evidence whatsoever.

So was it Kent and possibly my friend

No, you're laughing at it being in The Sun aka national news

Which could mean all manner of nursery workers now in hot water at work. Like the PP's daughter.

How on earth will they know who these people are? No names or locations have been disclosed ffs. You ar being silly

At least two posters on here have mentioned family/friends who were also out at lunch, drinking. Though not at work

All it takes is someone else to then report them. Or gossip to spread. And people's lives can be ruined or severely messed up because of your judgemental attitude

You have to be totally sure that they were working that day / afternoon before making any judgement call on this. Staff shortages or not, staff will have an annual leave entitlement that needs to be taken. That makes it a tricky one, but trust your gut and if you feel uncomfortable, call the Manager and explain your concern to seek reassurance.

I'd say that that's the thing the OP really wouldn't have to be sure of - because their boss can check in less than a minute whether they were rota'd to work that afternoon and if they weren't then no possible shadow of blame can attach to them: case closed, thank you for your concern but nothing to worry about.

People saying that nursery workers can do what they want on their unpaid lunch is WILD!! don’t be gaslight into thinking your overreacting, you are not! Discuss with the nursery manager in a sensitive manner as they might not of been working but make it clear that you do not think that is acceptable conduct for nursery nurses if that was the case. 100% do not let this go. Although your baby was not in nursery that day, other babies were and as a mother I would want reassurance that no one working with my baby was compromised.

The posters who seem to be excusing these nursery workers amaze me. Do they really think their little ones are safe in the hands of workers who think nothing of having a pub lunch, whether in their lunch hour or after work?

So perhaps they don't drive: does that excuse them? Perhaps they only had one drink: is that acceptable? All you who have babies in nursery school should be keeping watch on the staff where their children are, to make sure they are not doing the same thing, instead of making excuses.

Not excusing them

Just saying if least 2 posters
Including me said it could be innocent as finished work for the term so went for a meal /drink SO NOT GOING BACK TO WORK

that they haven't done anything wrong

I honestly can't believe that anyone would go to a pub next door to their work and and have a drink then go back to looking after lids

Do they really think their little ones are safe in the hands of workers who think nothing of having a pub lunch, whether in their lunch hour or after work?

OMG seriously? The children aren't safe because the workers had a pub lunch AFTER work?

Fucking ridiculous

I bet you also think they aren't fit to be around children because they might drink AT HOME too!

"Whether in their lunch hour or after work"?

The vast majority of PP have said it's totally unacceptable if they were going back to work but how is a child unsafe if they finished for the summer?

It doesn't matter what the circumstances are. They were in a public house next to the nursery and whether they were drinking alcohol or not, they are not giving the nursery where they work a good reputation.

Have the places of employment lost all loyalty of their staff? Once you take on the profession of nursery nurses/teachers, or any other profession where you are looking after other people's children, when you are not on duty you take yourself far away from the place of employment. If employees have lost the spirit of loyalty towards their place of employment to the extent that they can openly sit in a bar whether before, during or after work, they are indicating that their employer thinks it is OK, and that is wrong.

If you want to eat and drink in a public house, you must do it far away from your place of employment. Bankers and business house employees do that. Professional carers do not.

No. No they do NOT

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with off duty staff having a drink and a meal in a pub near their place of work.

People like you, with these ideas that teachers etc must somehow be "above" normal people are just one of the reasons teachers etc are leaving the profession. Because insane parents judge them for having a drink off duty!

As I said previously Dd had just finished work and colleague lives local so makes perfect sense to meet in that pub. The pub is her colleagues local. Is she not allowed to go there at all?

You said children were unsafe as they were next door. How far do you want Dd and colleagues to travel before you deem the children safe ... 5 miles 10 miles?

They were off duty. Absolutely nothing to bring Nursery into disrepute. If OP had contacted nursery to confirm they were off then absolutely nothing wrong with that but FFS parents cannot dictate where my Dd eats her lunch

If you want to eat and drink in a public house, you must do it far away from your place of employment.

You are Jacob Rees-Mogg and I claim my five pounds.

If you want to eat and drink in a public house, you must do it far away from your place of employment. Bankers and business house employees do that. Professional carers do not.

Oh ffs, this is ridiculous

Why are people getting so concerned that someone will be unfairly sacked for drinking when they had finished for the day? If they had finished then there is no problem.

It’s depressing that so many people here are willing to ignore any potential threat to children’s safety because they are so much more concerned about people having a drink at lunch and that never being questioned.

@llizzie are you actually serious about they have to be far away to have a drink or lunch?

I mean really totally serious?

Because if you are, it's one of the most hilarious comments ever on .MN!

Just mad.

If you want to eat and drink in a public house, you must do it far away from your place of employment.

Ridiculous. Attitudes like this is why people stay away from caring jobs. Get over yourself.

Correct!

We will pay you minimum or very low wage and then think we own you.

Outrageous!

But it's ok for the bigwigs to drink where they like?

Some people seem ignorant of the way witch hunts can happen from online comments

How people can post ill informed, or totally incorrect assumptions and they can either get attached to the wrong person or its false but names a person. The incorrect story can continue to perpetuate and the correct story, where they are innocent, is lost. People have had their lives ruined because a lie or false assumption has stuck to them.

Place can fire people, using a different reason if needed, if a false story about them gains too much motion and cause the company trouble.

Which is what the issue is here. OP has no idea if these two members of staff were returning to work or not. They might well have finished, as two other PP have said they knew people to have done yesterday, but OP starts stirring the pot and rumours start and these poor women's lives are ruined because the baying mob think they would be hugely irresponsible.

OP would be getting mostly different replies if she had seen the staff probably drinking (there is still the alcohol free potential) and then seen them at nursery on pick up

No one's life has to be broken. We have a site for mothers to express opinions. What is the point of the discussion or debate if someone has standards higher than yours and you dismiss them? Whose side are you on, the babies or the staff? If the staff, then why? Why are you so willing to excuse the staff?

It beggars belief that you should be so insulting to me, when I am on the side of the babies and other vulnerable people. There are rules. I like to be on the side of the rules. You can call me what you like, what matters is the babies and other vulnerable people. Nursery workers are in a position to recognise early development problems in babies and children. What if they come back from their lunch and cannot do that, because they have washed their meal down with alcohol?

Are you saying that the profession is so short of workers that you would cast a blind eye on something like this? If they are truly at the end of the day, why not wait until they are also out of the area?

If a member of the nursery staff saw a parent in the same situation, what should they do?

Suppose it was the other end of the scale, that domiciliary care workers were stopping off to meet for a drink or two between caring for the elderly and disabled? They are as vulnerable as babies. Is it right that they should be put at risk, because anyone who is given charge of vulnerable people have a duty of care. There is a Duty of Care Act in Britain.

If they return to work tired, what could happen in the rest of the day?

Alcohol affects people in different ways. ''I only had one drink, officer'' is no excuse when an RTA wipes out a family. Only last month, a drunk driver killed a family. He drank too much alcohol: how much alcohol is safe?

If the OP saw two nursery workers, or friends of nursery workers, drinking in a public house, regardless of whether they were on or off duty, or if the day had finished, they are advertising the fact that they are willing to risk the lives of babies by drinking alcohol. If they were not drinking alcohol, then they could do that somewhere else.

I commented on the original post. That is what we are all here to do: voice our opinions.

You may not agree with me; you may think that I am against anyone drinking at lunch time. I am not, per se, but I do think that regardless of how much they are paid, people who work with vulnerable children and adults have to be trusted. If they are not willing to make sacrifices, they should choose work where they can drink at lunch time, and home time, before work, any time, so long as they are not going to get into a car at the end of the day and risk killing someone.

regardless of whether they were on or off duty, or if the day had finished, they are advertising the fact that they are willing to risk the lives of babies by drinking alcohol.

How does a nursery worker enjoying a glass of wine at 1pm, at the end of their working day and with 19 hours to go until their next shift, risk the lives of babies? Please show your working. Is it your position that anyone who works with children, even perhaps 2 half-days per week, should renounce alcohol 365 days per year as long as that employment continues?