<p>Smelling of booze. Now what will happen to me? Will they tell him it was me?
One of my friends (not a fellow employee) said alcoholics are covered by ADA. Is this true? Can you come to work loaded?
I have a shift with him tomorrow morning. How do I act/pretend now? Would you look for another job?
This is the only one i have ever had 
I like my job or should that be in the past tense?
Anyone ever have anything similar? With your employees or telling on management?</p>
<p>I’d act as if nothing happened. You did the right thing. Maybe now your boss will seek the help he or she needs.</p>
<p>See [Americans</a> with Disabilities Act Questions and Answers](<a href=“http://www.ada.gov/employmt.htm]Americans”>Redirecting…) for the extent to which alcoholism is covered by the ADA. Note too that coming to work drunk doesn’t mean someone is an alcoholic. (This is not meant as legal advice. You don’t need legal advice.) </p>
<p>You did the right thing. Don’t say anything to your boss. Try to act as if you don’t know a thing.</p>
<p>Thanks Toledo,
The security guy said they had heard there was talk. I feel bad. I had told him I wanted to grow up to be like him back when i started.
The guy couldn’t walk without weaving two weeks ago. He had claimed exhaustion. We were sent a visiting boss. Then they told us “he was cleared” to come back. So is this because of the ADA? Do they have to allow accommodations?</p>
<p>Thanks for the link jonri. So this is a federal accommodation? Do you have to tell doctors you are an alcoholic? Can they test beyond just a breathalyzer?</p>
<p>I’m not giving you—or him–legal advice. If you aren’t the “boss,” you don’t need to know the answers anyway. You did the right thing. If he says anything, you can say you heard a rumor.</p>
<p>Not asking Jonri for legal advice. I really appreciate your knowledge. I am only 21. Just surprised i never imagined there would be laws i guess where i would work for a someone who is loaded. I will try to be myself/ act normal. Security guy told me to email another boss. I do not feel comfortable doing this.</p>
<p>The ADA is irrelevant. The ADA does not permit employees to come to work under the influence of alcohol and it does not create sanctions against one employee who reports another employee who comes to work under the influence.</p>
<p>You did the right thing and should keep your mouth shut. That means you don’t tell your friends on the condition that they keep the information confidential. What will happen is that your friends will tell their friends with the condition of confidentiality and pretty soon everyone in the office knows even though everyone in the office has promised not to tell anyone else.</p>
<p>Not telling friends at work only friend knows is the one from school who gave me ADA info. But when I called the security office today, there were 3 agents there from other places. One of them is a chatter box. Guess if anyone knows it is me I know it was him. Thanks.</p>
<p>That is why I didn’t want to email either. Afraid to find out who forwards what to who at top.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter about whether this is an alcoholism issue he’s working through or not - he shouldn’t be permitted to show up at work drunk. I don’t know of any employer that would allow that. A person drunk at work is a big liability that could cost a lot of business and lost revenue (depending on circumstances), poor decisions being made, and a safety issue (all kinds of issues here - falling down stairs into another person, operating some machinery in an unsafe way, etc.).</p>
<p>Don’t worry about reporting him. ‘He’ knows he was drunk and screwed up and that it’s his fault and no one else’s. If he’s a decent person (and decent people can have alcoholism issues as well), he’ll realize that and not blame anyone else for something like this. No one likely knows whatever is causing him to behave this way - it could be anything.</p>
<p>You have every right to ‘report’ him confidentially and don’t need to say anything to him about it. You don’t need to make up anything about it either. Just act as you normally would.</p>
<p>edit - cross-posted with razorsharp - but great minds think alike sometimes.</p>
<p>I doubt that if you reported him that they will tell him who reported him. That’s not likely.</p>
<p>Just act normally.</p>
<p>ADA doesn’t really have anything to do with this. Companies are supposed to suggest/provide rehab instead of just up and firing someone for being an alcoholic. That doesn’t mean that a person can come to work drunk.</p>
<p>30 years ago, my Dad was pulled over and got a DUI. This law abiding military man was crushed by this and never had a drink after that day. A few years later, he saw the cop who pulled him over. He went over to him and said, “Officer, 3 years ago, you pulled me over and gave me a DUI!” The officer bristled for a moment, then Dad continued, “I’d like to thank you. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. You certainly saved my life, and who knows who else’s!” </p>
<p>Dad said the policeman teared up and said NO ONE had ever thanked him for giving them a DUI before, and that it meant the world to him that my Dad had recovered and seen him not as the enemy.</p>
<p>Maybe your boss will someday be grateful for the wake up call.</p>
<p>In my career and state (Texas, nursing), if you agree to go into treatment, you can’t be fired for a first offense. There are rules when you come back (you can’t give narcotics or other controlled substances, you are subject to random drug screens, etc.), but at least you get a second chance. However, coming to work again impaired will not only get you fired, but you will lose your license and livelihood.</p>
<p>Unless lives or safety is at stake, I’m afraid you’ve made a big mistake. The realm of a superior is frankly none of your business. Why do you care? More importantly, you’ve just messed with his/her livelihood. It will be hard for your boss to forgive and forget.</p>
<p>I believe you did the right thing…but I’m wondering…what made you do this?</p>
<p>Sosomenza…this should be a confidential matter…and the boss should NOT be told who turned him in.</p>
<p>I would advise the OP to stop posting about this on the Internet. Stop talking about it. Just go and do your job.</p>
<p>some companies have drug free work force policies that include testing people “for cause” if they appear impaired in the workplace, and this testing may include testing for alcohol, depending on the company’s policy. typically however testing someone requires two observers noting the impairment. </p>
<p>reporting a concern is reasonable, and no you shouldn’t be implicated by anyone, nor should you tell your boss about this. it is also unlikely anyone will share any next steps taken with you,this would be confidential. Many larger companies would place the employee at the point of termination based on violating the DFWF policy and then if he indicated that in fact he did have a problem he might have been given the opportunity to go for treatment to maintain his job. usually an employee assistance program would be involved with the employee to make an assessment and referral.</p>
<p>Update. Friday, two regionals showed up, now we are being told he is “no longer with the company”.</p>
<p>thumper1: the reason I chose to report was because it was like being on board a ship with no rudder. The boss would not show up on time, leaving us waiting in the parking lot for an hour plus, would slam doors, throw stuff, yell at us, I was on a team where we were told, he could train a monkey to do our job, when we knew he was impaired.
Friday Also I had a client come in looking for him. When I told him what I was told no longer with company, he was like when did this happen. I did not want to say, an hour ago, so i said this week and that I knew he has great opportunities ahead.</p>
<p>As to the realm of a superior: I have respect for the brand, i respect authority leading our future progress and respect the authority that keeps the brand developing so I can come to work. </p>
<p>Thanks for the parental wisdom. I value all Your knowledge.</p>
<p>quikdraw – FWIW, I think you did the right thing. Now it is up to your company. I suggest you not discuss it at all with anyone you know at work. </p>
<p>No, I would not talk about it ever again. It is in your best interest now to just keep quiet. You would not have filed the original report had you not want him removed from the job and that has happened, end of story. It is entirely possible you aren’t the only one who has said something, so anything now is common gossip. </p>
<p>momof3 is right.</p>
<p>Do not talk about this at work. Do not tell friends at home or at work that you reported him. Keep that to yourself. </p>