Drugs are bad, m'kay??

[EmeraldKitten]

This should prove to be interesting.
And if I get worked up, I apologize. I just have very strong views.
I shall try and keep an open mind however, Note the word try, lol.
Nah, seriously, I need some opinions from different people.

~*~*~

At work, I have decided to fight my own war on drugs.
It used to be, yeah, some of the employees smoked weed before they came in, or while they were on break. No biggie. It was one or two people.. whatever.
Here recently, there have been some manjor issues.
One manager will take the pot smokin crew out after closing time, they toke it up, then come back in to close the store down.
'Everyone' thinks its okay to smoke weed on break, then come back to work.
One girl, a minor, her mom got an annonymous phone calla t work regarding this issue.
This aforementioned manager sent a crew member on a drug buy, while he was on the clock, to get some stuff so they could smoke after they closed.

One night, out of 7 people there, 4 were stoned out of their gourds.
(It's no secret I'm against drugs. My dad is a hardcore Heroin addict. I do not approve.
I admit, I don't think weed is that bad. I'd never smoke it again, or make a 'habit' out of it, but thats just me. I do not think badly of people because they do.)

Anyway, after that night, I had a talk with our store manager. She had also noticed it was becoming a big problem.
I had a couple more talks with her in the days following, and we finally reached a solution.
Any crew member we suspected of being 'under the influence'.. we had to call the store manager, at which time she would come out, and we'd tell the crew member (or manager in a few cases) that we suspected they were high, and that they needed to go get drug tested. If the results came back negative, they'd get paid for the hours they missed. If the results came back positive, they were automatically fired.
Rock on.

Well, the day came when another manager and myself had three stonies on our hands. He came out and we discussed what to do.
I called the store manager, and she was out of town, with no way to get back, and told us to do what we thought was best.
Umm, that wasnt the deal... but okay, whatever.
Well, we decided to let them work, as opposed to running dinner rush with 3 people. However, we sat each and every person there down, and told them they can do what they want when they're not a work. Toke it up, blaze it up, whatever. But work wasnt the time nor the place.
In my opinion, I can't drink at work, or before work, or during break, so why should they be allowed to toke it up? And I told them as much.
We're a small store, so we have pretty personal relationships with the crew members.. it happens.
For the most part, everyone loves me. And I love them back.
It really disturbs me to see these 16-22 year olds getting into this shit, even if it is 'just' weed.
Drug addictions start out all sorts of ways. Ask my dad. He's been shootin up Herion for at least 6 years now.. and his addiction started out with Diet pills when he was 13.

Anyhow, at work, my new nickname is the Drug Nazi. Some use it affectionately, others, not so much, lol.
I feel bad in a way, for bustin' them out...
But as I learned at managers training last week, I'm not there to be their friend.

I don't know how well this is going to work out.. How much back up and support I'm really going to get from the upper management.
Should have I said anything? Was it worth it? Will it be worth it?

Our area supervisor is about to get the police involved. Her and the store manager are making snide comments to the 'dopers'. They're basically, for some, making work an uncomfortable place.
Thats not what I had in mind. That's not what I wanted.
I just want to go to work, and not be subjected to bloodshot eyes and slow ass fuckin' employees.
As well as some of the other employees~ the ones that dont smoke. Some hate drugs worse than me, for other reasons. Should they have to be subjected to that? To that 'lifestyle'?
Should they be expected to clean and close the store down while everyone else is outside in the parking lot, on the clock, smokin' a joint?

As a manager, or just a person, what do you think?
What would you do?

Discuss. This should be fun.

 

[werdsmith]

If the store policy is that drug use isn't tolerated, you have to put teeth into it, or they will keep running over you (like they are now).

you're not there to be their friend, like you said, and they aren't being paid by the company to smoke weed, they are supposed to be doing a job.

Let one of them get injured at work while under the influence, and see how much your buddy they are while they are suing your company for "allowing" them to work while stoned.

Werd

 

[Remec]

Like you said, it's comparable to alcohol (except for the whole legality-thing). If they can't get their shit together and present a professional appearance as well as doing their job correctly and professionally, then they need to be hitting the street with the classifieds in hand looking for somewhere else to be.

There are and have always been massive numbers of people who can be drunk or stoned and pull off their jobs quite well. These don't sound like those sort of people. A hardline might be what's warranted here. (You may want to speak to your manager and the supervisor privately about the snide remarks, though. That's prolly uncalled for and is unprofessional on their part.)

We had a problem with tardiness and no shows at the BK I worked at shortly after moving back to this area back in '92. (I know, much lower crisis level, but a similar principle. *g*) One day, the manager came in with a piece of poster board. He stopped and rearranged the employee notices, and then hung it up.

It said, in four inch lettering, 'This is your official written notice as required in your company handbook. Tardiness and/or absenteeism will be tolerated with advance notice to some extent, if it gets too be too much then counseling forms will be filled out. If you do not come in without a verifiable emergency and do not call us in advance, You are fired.'

 

[oggbashan]

As a manager I would class drug (and alcohol) use during working hours as equivalent to self-inflicted personal injury. I would agree the following policy with the senior management and notify the staff representatives if any and then ALL employees.

Every time an employee was high I would warn the person concerned that to be employed they had to be fit for work and using drugs made them unfit. (I might ask for a written explanation of the reasons for their incapacity - to be written at the time!) A written statement that the warning had been given would be handed to the individual at the start of their next day's work. They would be required to acknowledge receipt by signing a copy (not to say that they agreed with my action, but that they had been handed the written statement). If they were unfit again they would get a second warning. On the third offence they would be fired.

Og

 

[EmeraldKitten]

If the store policy is that drug use isn't tolerated, you have to put teeth into it, or they will keep running over you (like they are now).

you're not there to be their friend, like you said, and they aren't being paid by the company to smoke weed, they are supposed to be doing a job.

Let one of them get injured at work while under the influence, and see how much your buddy they are while they are suing your company for "allowing" them to work while stoned.

Werd

Yeah no shit. Theres a problem there, lol.

Good thing is, that workmans comp now requires a drug test within 24 hours, or ya aren't eligible. If it comes positive, they aren't payin shit.

Of course, what sucks extra bad, is all the shit you can buy to 'cleanse' your system.. and of course there's that whole buying urine thing to consider.

 

[CharleyH]

This should prove to be interesting.
And if I get worked up, I apologize. I just have very strong views.
I shall try and keep an open mind however, Note the word try, lol.
Nah, seriously, I need some opinions from different people.

~*~*~

At work, I have decided to fight my own war on drugs.
It used to be, yeah, some of the employees smoked weed before they came in, or while they were on break. No biggie. It was one or two people.. whatever.
Here recently, there have been some manjor issues.
One manager will take the pot smokin crew out after closing time, they toke it up, then come back in to close the store down.
'Everyone' thinks its okay to smoke weed on break, then come back to work.
One girl, a minor, her mom got an annonymous phone calla t work regarding this issue.
This aforementioned manager sent a crew member on a drug buy, while he was on the clock, to get some stuff so they could smoke after they closed.

One night, out of 7 people there, 4 were stoned out of their gourds.
(It's no secret I'm against drugs. My dad is a hardcore Heroin addict. I do not approve.
I admit, I don't think weed is that bad. I'd never smoke it again, or make a 'habit' out of it, but thats just me. I do not think badly of people because they do.)

Anyway, after that night, I had a talk with our store manager. She had also noticed it was becoming a big problem.
I had a couple more talks with her in the days following, and we finally reached a solution.
Any crew member we suspected of being 'under the influence'.. we had to call the store manager, at which time she would come out, and we'd tell the crew member (or manager in a few cases) that we suspected they were high, and that they needed to go get drug tested. If the results came back negative, they'd get paid for the hours they missed. If the results came back positive, they were automatically fired.
Rock on.

Well, the day came when another manager and myself had three stonies on our hands. He came out and we discussed what to do.
I called the store manager, and she was out of town, with no way to get back, and told us to do what we thought was best.
Umm, that wasnt the deal... but okay, whatever.
Well, we decided to let them work, as opposed to running dinner rush with 3 people. However, we sat each and every person there down, and told them they can do what they want when they're not a work. Toke it up, blaze it up, whatever. But work wasnt the time nor the place.
In my opinion, I can't drink at work, or before work, or during break, so why should they be allowed to toke it up? And I told them as much.
We're a small store, so we have pretty personal relationships with the crew members.. it happens.
For the most part, everyone loves me. And I love them back.
It really disturbs me to see these 16-22 year olds getting into this shit, even if it is 'just' weed.
Drug addictions start out all sorts of ways. Ask my dad. He's been shootin up Herion for at least 6 years now.. and his addiction started out with Diet pills when he was 13.

Anyhow, at work, my new nickname is the Drug Nazi. Some use it affectionately, others, not so much, lol.
I feel bad in a way, for bustin' them out...
But as I learned at managers training last week, I'm not there to be their friend.

I don't know how well this is going to work out.. How much back up and support I'm really going to get from the upper management.
Should have I said anything? Was it worth it? Will it be worth it?

Our area supervisor is about to get the police involved. Her and the store manager are making snide comments to the 'dopers'. They're basically, for some, making work an uncomfortable place.
Thats not what I had in mind. That's not what I wanted.
I just want to go to work, and not be subjected to bloodshot eyes and slow ass fuckin' employees.
As well as some of the other employees~ the ones that dont smoke. Some hate drugs worse than me, for other reasons. Should they have to be subjected to that? To that 'lifestyle'?
Should they be expected to clean and close the store down while everyone else is outside in the parking lot, on the clock, smokin' a joint?

As a manager, or just a person, what do you think?
What would you do?

Discuss. This should be fun.

I think if pot smoking affects ones work then that is not good. But quite frankly? And I do not smoke I have never met a pot smoker who was not seriosly creative or who did not work harder than a dog.

 

[rgraham666]

I think you should enforce the policy.

Drugs at work are just a bad idea.

*HUGS* Kitten.

 

[CharleyH]

I think you should enforce the policy.

Drugs at work are just a bad idea.

*HUGS* Kitten.

Let me use the word ANAL.

It probably would do the world a lot of good right now, EDIT: especially in the middle east .

 

[EmeraldKitten]

Thanks guys.

That day, we sat the three 'problem causers' down, and told them we were letting them work that night, but that was it. Next time, they were getting sent home.
One was 16, another was 17, and the other was 19.
They all took it rather well. Hopefully they realize its nothing personal, and that we're just doing our job.
And I've said I'm not there to be their friend, but I like these kids, and I want them to be more than that.
They're all capable of 'functioning', but some attitudes are just wrong, and I won't stand for it. My job description doesnt say I have to be talked down to by a 16 year old.
Unfortunately, our store severly lacks following through with threats and such. They wont fire anyone for shit.
All I know, is that I'm going to do my job, and cover my own ass.
If I think they're high, their asses are gone. I dont care if I have to run the store with 2 people and shut down the lobby.
They think they're slick.. using Visine and all that.
But anyone with any kind of drug knowledge is going to know, or at least suspect. It's not attractive, and it gives us a bad name.
Some former employees actually worked better under the infulence, and some work just the same. But others, they're slackin'. And I dont have time for that.
As it is, I run around doing everyone's job for them. I don't need to pick up any extra slack because so-n-so feels the need to be a pot head.

 

[oggbashan]

Unfit or not?

One difficulty is to decide whether a person is unfit for work or not.

Medical confirmation is expensive and takes time.

It is a good idea to have a regulation that says 'The employee is considered unfit for work if a supervisor and one other employee (supervisor or not) agree that the employee is unfit at this time'.

That avoids the medical decisions that can be used to back up the supervisor's decision if necessary.

Og (who used that regulation sparingly - if it was the employee's birthday or he had just become a father etc I would expect his colleagues to get him safely off the premises without invoking any rules whatever. I would discreetly reprimand any supervisor who was heavy-handed on such special occasions)

 

[CharleyH]

One difficulty is to decide whether a person is unfit for work or not.

Medical confirmation is expensive and takes time.

It is a good idea to have a regulation that says 'The employee is considered unfit for work if a supervisor and one other employee (supervisor or not) agree that the employee is unfit at this time'.

That avoids the medical decisions that can be used to back up the supervisor's decision if necessary.

Og (who used that regulation sparingly - if it was the employee's birthday or he had just become a father etc I would expect his colleagues to get him safely off the premises without invoking any rules whatever. I would discreetly reprimand any supervisor who was heavy-handed on such special occasions)

You are so totally too nice. You forget that there were others in the scenario - other workers I assume.

 

[Liar]

Pot as a drug is pretty lame. On par with a pint or three, and according to statistics apparently no more a gateway drug than alcohol either. And I don't care if it's legal or not. Everone breaks minor laws anyway.

That geing said. When I was in charge of personell, the rules were simple: High, drunk or zonked out on prescribed meds, while on the job, you won't have a job. If employees took a toke on their lunch break, or boozed their way through breaks, same thing, equally unacceptable.

 

[CharleyH]

Pot as a drug is pretty lame. On par with a pint or three, and according to statistics apparently no more a gateway drug than alcohol either. And I don't care if it's legal or not. Everone breaks minor laws anyway.

That geing said. When I was in charge of personell, the rules were simple: High, drunk or zonked out on prescribed meds, while on the job, you won't have a job. If employees took a toke on their lunch break, or boozed their way through breaks, same thing, equally unacceptable.

LOL boozed in my former profession or drugged? It makes a ladies or mans night for tips or business deals, perhaps even UN ones. Is this not the high powered way? LOL If you think not then LOL.

 

[oggbashan]

You are so totally too nice. You forget that there were others in the scenario - other workers I assume.

The rules I stated were really for alcohol.

Drugs are illegal and an employee openly taking drugs would be breaking the law, as would an employer who allowed it to happen.

In the UK, if the situation outlined were to happen, the Police would be called and the employees prosecuted AND fired without warning.

Og

 

[CharleyH]

The rules I stated were really for alcohol.

Drugs are illegal and an employee openly taking drugs would be breaking the law, as would an employer who allowed it to happen.

In the UK, if the situation outlined were to happen, the Police would be called and the employees prosecuted AND fired without warning.

Og

I understand that, Og.

Edit to add: if we were a bunch of pot heads? When have pot heads ever argued?

 

[Liar]

LOL boozed in my former profession or drugged? It makes a ladies or mans night for tips or business deals, perhaps even UN ones. Is this not the high powered way? LOL If you think not then LOL.

Well, heh. Depends on the job, I guess. We operated big machines and had goods and people responsibility. If something went wrong and a test showed anything other than, you know, blood, we'd be out of business in a heartbeat.

 

[CharleyH]

Well, heh. Depends on the job, I guess. We operated big machines and had goods and people responsibility. If something went wrong and a test showed anything other than, you know, blood, we'd be out of business in a heartbeat.

get ya. Too bad the same does not go for culture or politics.

 

[SeaCat]

LOLOLOL

True story.

One of my co-workers had the nasty habit of showing up for work stoned out of her flipping mind. She had a hard time getting on and off the elevator. The supervisor tried talking with her. She immediatly went off on the supervisor screaming about rscism and threatening to call the N.A.A.C.P., ACLU, PETA and anyone else who would listen. Surprisingly, well not really knowing the super., the supervisor backed down.

About a week later members of the higher ups showed up with several Deputies in tow and informed the Supervisor they had received an annonymus(sp) phone call to the Ethics Hotline and were there to investigate it. The Co-worker was escorted by a female deputy and given a Urinalysis, which immediatly came up positive for several illegal drugs. She was immediatly fired and escorted to her car, where the Deputies found large amounts of drugs so she was arrested.

Unfortunately nothing was said to the supervisor who allowed this to happen for so long in a Hospital.

Cat

 

[cantdog]

I think you should enforce the policy.

Drugs at work are just a bad idea.

*HUGS* Kitten.

What work? That's the question.

I was a firefighter. As such, I was at risk personally. The situations into which the job thrust me were personally dangerous, and very changeable.

I worked an ambulance. As such, my nicety of judgement was or could easily have been a life or death issue for my patients.

Drugs at THAT work are BAD, m'kay?

These people are not even receiving enough pay to put them over the poverty line. They are using mops, buffers, and rags to clean a building. Not only is no one else at risk, neither are they. They could, as werd suggests, still get hurt. They might, horror of horrors, slip on a wet floor.

Jesus.

I have never met one person over the age of twenty-- not one!-- who has never tried pot. Thatr makes every person in the culture, that I have talked to, a felon, m'kay?

Get real.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Wow, that is seriously out of hand and should not be tolerated at work. What people do on their own time is their business but at a business, it should be about business.

 

[cantdog]

Wow, that is seriously out of hand and should not be tolerated at work. What people do on their own time is their business but at a business, it should be about business.

Yep. And they ought to be paid a living wage, too. And peace ought to reign over all the earth. But none of these things are actually happening.

 

[Halo_n_horns]

I think if pot smoking affects ones work then that is not good. But quite frankly? And I do not smoke I have never met a pot smoker who was not seriosly creative or who did not work harder than a dog.

I have. Many. Only a few with truly creative spirits have shown to be otherwise. But over all, pot smokers are more and more lazy in direct relativity to how much pot they smoke.

On the other hand, frankly, I wish all drugs were legal. Yes. All. If people are stupid enough to cave in to the pressure, or whatever the excuse is, then they need to be thinned from the herd anyway. Drugs will help facilitate quicker thinning of bad stock.

On yet another hand ... where the hell did that hand come from???!!! ... Marylin Manson once spoke about the differences between "users" and "abusers." Now I don't give a lot of credence to anything that Marylin Manson might have to say, I have no doubt that there are some great differences there, but who really needs any of that crap to begin with?

 

[Belegon]

Being under the influence while you are on your own time is your own decision...wanting to spend the money you earn on things that put you under the influence is your decision. I'm not going to put anyone down for that.

But being under the influence at work is wrong. I don't care how much you are being paid. When you show up and clock in, you are agreeing to do said job for said wage and you are agreeing that you will do so in the manner that you are expected to in order to receive the wage.

Fuck moral arguments about drug use.

How about honoring your agreement? Doing what you said you would do? How about not creating a burden for the other employees and pulling your own weight?

I'd fire an employee. I've done so. Not on the first offense. But I would give them a first warning, etc. in accordance with your companies policies. Although every company I ever was a supervisor for had rules that allowed you to fire on the spot for illegal drug use on the job.

BTW, I have no problem drinking with you after work. I've smoked many a bowl in my life, although I don't do so currently. This is not about the morality of drugs at all. It's about doing your job. That's all.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

Thanks everyone, for your replies.
I knew this would be insightful.

I don't care what people do on their own time. I really don't.
I'm not going to think I'm better than them because I don't do drugs.
However, as much of a contradiction it might be- I still do not like drug use.
I distanced myself from a lot of my friends.. well, most of them really.. when their recreational drug use became an everyday thing.
And they were getting into Acid, poppin' pills, smoking weed laced with Coke, shit like that.
Of course, I took it personally. I was in the process of watching my dad become a slave to the demon called Heroin. I also watched him lose his job, his wife, his kids, and 100 pounds. My friends all knew this, knew that it bothered me, and offered me shit anyway.
And it got boring, hanging out with them, being the only 'sober' one.

Anyway, I'm rambling.

There's always been a no drug policy, but no one really ever enforced it.
Of course, it was only a couple people here and there, every once in a while.
I like all of 'em, but I refuse to bust my ass pickin up the slack. I think that's my biggest beef, lol.

All right, it's late, and I'm exhausted, lol.
Time for bed. I'm glad I started this.
Have a great night/day all!

 

[scheherazade_79]

If they're slacking, pull them up for slacking... but if they're smoking weed, but still working like trojans, I don't see what the problem is.

I don't class weed as any more of a drug than alcohol or aspirin. In fact, let the truth be known, I see alcohol as being far, far worse for the individual concerned and for society as a whole.

Personally, I wouldn't get high at work, unless I worked for myself in a very creative job.

Saying that, I know plenty of people who disappear for a pint or a glass of wine in their lunch breaks. What's the difference between that and having a couple of quick tokes?

I think the biggest issue here is why weed is illegal. You can use the 'cause of psychopathic behaviour argument', but I tend to associate that behaviour with alcohol - I've certainly never seen it in a stoner. Statistically, alcohol causes way more mental health problems. You can also use the 'gateway to other drugs' theory, but most of the stoners I know, myself included, have never felt the urge to touch harder drugs. In fact, I think it's more likely that people do something stupid like experiment with class A's after getting drunk.

People seem to be convinced that after smoking a spliff, people are raving and completely out of control. That's not the case at all. Unlike alcohol, you're always aware of exactly what's going on around you when you're stoned.

I think your area supervisor is wrong to involve the police. Apart from anything else, involving the police over something like this is a criminal waste of time and resources. At the end of the day, would you feel safer if the police were busy hunting down potheads, or safer if they were out looking for murderers, rapists and violent criminals? It sounds like your supervisor responded in a completely hysterical way.

Kitten, I think the world of you, and this rant isn't remotely personal.

I just get fed up of weed-smokers being cast in the role of Public Enemy Number One, when I know that all of my smoking buddies are level-headed professionals, who do so much for the community.

I often wonder how weed would be viewed these days if it had originally been a white person's drug.