I would not report it unless the worker isn’t doing the job (and then I’d report that the work isn’t being done).
If it is being done right in the boss’s face, I wouldn’t feel the need to say anything. If the person were a driver, machine operator for the company, then I would go to HR about the liability.
If you want to help your coworker, get an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) brochure from HR and give it to him, without discussing the smell of alcohol. (You are not a counselor.) Just say something like, “Since you are new here, I don’t know if you know we have access to confidential help.”
I will say that about 8 years ago at my last company (large manufacturer) we had a Sr. VP with a terrible drinking problem. He didn’t drink during the day, but he drank heavily and embarrassed himself at some dinners. Long story- but the company was in the process of relocating to Nashville and there was a lot of time in hotel bars and restaurants. Anyway, one of the other VPs committed to saying something to HR or senior leadership and then decided to let it go because it “wasn’t his business.” An incident occurred at work where the alcoholic screamed at a co-worker (male) very abusively as a result of an attempt to self-detox. Our very excellent CEO put a lot of thought into it but made the decision to terminate him. He said “We wouldn’t think twice if this happened at one of the plants. I have to have much more from my senior management.” Then he was absolutely livid that no one had brought this problem to his attention so that he could get help for the man and avoid this loss of the job. He really dressed down all the people who knew and hadn’t said anything. The guy accepted his termination, never pulled the AAADA card, and got treatment. He has a great career and has stayed sober.
Fendrock, I think that you should MYOB unless the person’s behavior and performance affects you negatively. If this person IS drinking regularly during the day, eventually he will either stop, or his performance/behavior with betray him.
Frankly, at this point this can sound a bit like people are ganging up on the new guy whose presence they resent, and concern about liability is an excuse.
It doesn’t sound as if you have any evidence that he is in fact drunk, and only tenuous evidence that he is drinking. Personally, I would hate being next to a person who reeked of cigarette smoke, but that’s another issue.
We had a co worker we were SURE was drinking during lunch. We discussed it with our administrator. It was…mouthwash!
Agree with posts 13 and 23. A brief smell of an alcohol that goes away in 5 minutes? Couldn’t it be a smelly mouth wash? I wish the smell of cigarette smoke would dissipate in 5 minutes.
Also how do you prove that you’re right? Does the coworker take a breathalyzer test? If it isn’t affecting this person 's performance on the job, I would let it go. On a side note, there was a staff person in my office years ago who had patient contact and who obviously drank on the job – smelled of alcohol, sometimes swayed or would hug people inappropriately. Employer was so afraid of getting sued that they never confronted her about her drinking. Eventually she committed a fireable offense, ironically not related to drinking, and was let go.
So I have been with a few major companies and the rules do vary. In some, you had to be impaired (as in, job related or literally stumbling about). Others have a strict ‘no alcohol during work hours’ approach. As a people manager, it can be tough because without hard evidence you are at risk either way.
Given the ‘smoke break’ timing, I would suspect a strong mouthwash being more likely than alcohol. If the person is acting impaired in other ways, that may change my opinion.
If the guy is using mouthwash, he can explain that! He might want to know that his co-workers are buzzing about him smelling like alcohol. I’m glad all you “do nothing” folks don’t work for my company! Situations like this need to be addressed and resolved one way or another. I suspect I have the most expertise in this area of anyone posting, but I’m also not the one sitting next to the guy…
MOWC, it would be another matter if the guy’s behavior revealed that he clearly WAS drinking on breaks and that he was drunk. I’ve worked with drunks. I’ve hired–mistakenly–and fired drunks whose work suffered severely from their drinking off the job. If the person is actually drunk on the job, then sure, say something quietly to the boss.
But there is zero evidence here. A faint alcohol smell that dissipates in 5 minutes after a smoke break says mouthwash, not booze.
First of all, is the general consensus that it is okay to drink shots throughout the day, as long as one’s work is not suffering?
I am not sure I agree.
In the case of this individual, my sense is that he is going out to smoke as an excuse to take a drink – in fact, he even mentioned to my colleague, “at my old job, I used to keep a bottle of vodka in my car…”
Do most of you feel you couldn’t distinguish between someone using mouthwash and someone who smells like booze?
The OP said the smell of alcohol was strong- not faint. There is much more than “zero evidence.” A couple of co-workers have noticed. The guy has mentioned keeping alcohol at work previously. How do you know if someone is drunk? It is not always easy to tell. Same with prescription drug abuse. At my last company we were not allowed in the building if we had been drinking- i.e. no leaving your laptop bag in the office, going across the street to happy hour and then coming back to get it. There are many, many reasons to not permit the use of alcohol on premises or having it in your system when on premises or on the clock. What is the harm in having the HR person ask about it? If this is a mouthwash issue, it would be the first time I’ve come across that in many, many years of being a HR lawyer.
From post 16-- “That sounds like a problem. The boss likes him, though he’s incompetent”
Nobody said he’s incompetent. He may have been hired to do a specific type job and is very good at it.
Unless the job relates directly to operating heavy machinery, driving cars, direct patient care–steer clear.
I know you may have legitimate concerns but you are not the designated moral police in this instance.
I think that it is HIGHLY unlikely that a person could drink shots all day without their work suffering!
I think you should stay out of it. You note that your boss has a stake in this person being part of the company-so it is unlikely they are going to appreciate your bringing this up. Also-at my last job, it was fairly common for many employees to have wine or beer at lunch, if we were out in a group with our without our boss. I can also remember several times we left the office to grab a drink and talk-after someone was fired or a big reorg. It’s possible they’re drinking because they are an alcholic-but it’s also possible they are drinking with your boss, or with a client, etc-there’s a lot you don’t know. Norms can vary from company to company-you might be out of step or this new hire might realize that it’s not a comfortable environment for lunchtime or break drinking.
Actually- you are the moral police. As an employee of a company, there is a duty to maintain the safety of the workplace and the mission and values of the organization. At least that’s how it is at any company I would like to call my employer.
Report him to who? It sounds like everyone already knows about this. I think if it bothers you enough to say something, you should say something directly to him. “Woah, you’ve been hitting the whiskey today, haven’t you.”
He’ll probably hate you but at least you’re giving him a heads up that his drinking is no secret.
“Actually- you are the moral police. As an employee of a company, there is a duty to maintain the safety of the workplace and the mission and values of the organization. At least that’s how it is at any company I would like to call my employer”
I disagree. Maintaining safety and values is one thing which is great–but neither may be the situation in this case.
Unless the behavior has a direct impact on the job being done–and it affects you–improper behavior, sub-par work that you depend on -leave it alone, You have no idea if the boss isn’t full aware of this employee’s behavior and accepts it as part of the deal.
Drinking on the job due to alcoholism is not a protected disability. If this guy is fired for boozing during workday, no reputable employment law lawyer will touch the case.
If this guy drives home after work buzzed and causes an accident, then as MOfWC said, the company can be liable. If this is a small workplace, then the company might suffer severe financial consequences. How would that not affect OP’s job?
I do not see the harm in talking to the coworkers and the HR to address the inclusion of alcohol in the handbook. This should be done as the first step. Many companies have policies that cover alcohol provided by the co and disallow any drinking on the employer’s time outside of work-related activities such as holiday parties.
Could he be using mouthwash to address the smoking? The OP says he goes out to smoke and comes back with a faint smell of alcohol that dissipates in five minutes. I don’t see how the smell of alcohol could be gone that fast. The smell of alcohol in one’s breath is not coming from the mouth-it’s coming from the lungs. As long as the body is processing the alcohol, it’s coming to be present in the respirations. Mouthwash isn’t taken in systemically because it is spit out after rinsing. It does not have the systemic effect of going into the bloodstream and then into the lungs.