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?

@ihaventfedthecat

you don't know they had 2 glasses each

what does the drink drive limit have to do with the price of fish??

@Brendathedoll it's cowardly not reporting something you think needs reporting just because you can't do it anonymously. If you're genuinely worried about how they treat your child then you seriously need to consider whether you should be using that nursery anyway.

you don't even know if they were going back to the nursery after or not.

I'm sure people turn up to work with a higher blood alcohol level some mornings than a glass of wine at lunchtime.

it wouldn't worry me, but you do what you think is right.

id be surprised if their contracts don't forbid it, so they may lose their jobs, but that's on them for doing it, not you reporting it.

I’d have been fired for that. Many places have a zero tolerance for alcohol during the day. It’s not the 1980s anymore.

To summarise
you don’t know if they were there glasses
you don’t know what was inThe glasses
you don’t know if the were working

Were they working that day, was it non alcoholic wine, lemonade and lime in a wine glass (yes I'm sad and have asked for lemonade and lime in a wine glass). If worried talk to manager.

I wouldn't say anything. I find the idea that a nursery pays enough staff to give them all long enough to go to the pub for lunch unlikely! I work in education and we get half an hour if we're lucky and nothing interrupts it. More likely they'd done an early shift and finished for the day. You say it seems strange they are off together, but having 2 shifts say 7-1.30 and 1-6.30 seems very likely!

I would think unacceptable.

So you don't know what they were actually drinking or if they were returning to work afterwards or not?

Those are fundamental pieces of information before passing any judgement.

No, you don't always, it depends. One small glass slowly with food and I wouldn't necessarily feel anything. Without food and tired, yes, maybe.

No not fine. Drinking during working hours is just not OK. It impacts judgement. If your job doesn’t matter at all, may be, but nurser nurse, no.

It seems inappropriate to report them unless you know they were working that afternoon - but can you check this with the nursery? If they were, they shouldn't be drinking.

It’s not about ‘feeling’ drunk. It’s the effect on your brain and how it functions. You might not notice any difference until there is something urgent and you need to make a quick decision. Like a child choking, for example.

Doesn't sound like they were drunk though.

Do not report them

It could be a total one off

One glass of wine

They could be on a half day

Their pay is awful

The work they have to do is sometimes very hard

Don't do it

I would never in their shoes do this but please just do not make their lives hard

Why? ?!!!!!!

Being tired would have even more effect on someone than one glass of wine and it's not against the law/rules to go to work tired (unless you're a HGV driver maybe).

100% This

I loved the way the OP assumed they 'looked a little sheepish' because she had caught them day drinking and not that they were hoping she wouldn't come over and start questioning why her little one had paint on her t.shirt last week and to check if the new felt pens were non toxic.

I've also had an hour in all but one of my jobs, but I work in an office, not a nursery. In many offices there is also tolerance about taking more time some days and less on other days or even official flexi time so going out for lunch is totally doable.
I'm glad I don't work in a nursery.

I can understand the posters arguing that it's more than likely the women weren't working that afternoon.

The ones arguing that it's totally fine for nursery workers to have a glass of wine at lunch and that anyone who objects is That Parent are blowing my mind.

Are you sure they were definitely going back to work? They might have been off early or on a training day with just other adults so no kids to care for? Id say it's not ideal if they were caring for kids after. If they didn't have much food it could affect their ability a little bit, two glasses in the sunshine.
I mean, can teachers drink at lunch? Surely if alcohol was smelt upon them it wouldn't look good. Your baby might end up smelling of booze? Lol. That's a bit extreme. I guess if I liked them and genuinely thought they were good then I'd not say anything. I'd make sure I knew the facts too before I did.
I'm presuming it would be a sackable offence? Or maybe not.

Nothing to report, it's been and gone now, can't prove anything.
Before thinking of reporting in future tho I'd make sure you have concrete evidence. There was lots of "don't knows" with your acquisitions.

No absolutely shouldn't be drinking at lunch! I'm not allowed to drink at lunch and I just have a desk job not looking after babies.
Assuming they definitely were going back to work not having the afternoon off?

I wouldn’t drink alcohol during working hours.
However any parent drinking alcohol whilst in sole charge of their dc is just as bad surely.

A few years ago when I worked in a preschool we finished work at 1 just before Christmas and manager brought us all a couple of rounds in the local pub.
As we were leaving a parent came up furious that we'd been drinking, even when the manager explained we weren't going back to work as we were on Christmas holiday. She reported us to Ofsted, but obviously nothing came of it.
I just find it hard to believe nursery staff would go drinking and then go back to work. I'm sure 99% of nurseries would sack their staff to that.

If this is the case then they’re free to do as they want.

if they were going back to work to supervise children and babies then I’d have thought it would be a zero tolerance approach.

tbh after one large glass of wine I can feel my reactions a bit dulled and would struggle to sit all afternoon at my office job so I wouldn’t fancy being in charge of the welfare of multiple children

That seems to be the sum of it.

I love all the people jumping to conclusions about them drinking several glasses of wine and drink driving, as well.

It shows the lack of respect people have for workers in the caring sectors, doesn't it. They are clearly too stupid to moderate their drinking, or walk to the pub.

That aside, if they were working in the afternoon, I don't think it was wise to have alcohol. You need a clear head to work with kids!

If you can't understand the difference then I'm not sure how to explain it to you tbh - it's obvious surely (and discussed upthread if not).