# Had to fire a guy today



## colevalleytim (Mar 1, 2008)

I had to fire my employee today. 

We were at lunch at a taco place. He said" I'm gonna get a beer"
I said "don't, if you do, you're gonna have to go home."

He got beer anyway, said he sometimes gets one when he goes out to lunch.

We got back to the job, I told him to pack up his tools.

What would you have done?


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

A beer.I would have let it go.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

He's got to go. Doesn't matter how many he had. You aren't going to be on my jobs smelling like alcohol, period. It's my rules and it's not optional.

He screwed up twice, once by drinking the other by testing your authority. You have a right to have a zero Tolerance policy.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Completely unacceptable to work construction and have any drugs in your system. Its dangerous enough as it is. 

I bet you were going back to the job site to either a. Deck a roof or b. Nail on siding from pump jacks.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

I'm with Mike. Testing you like that suggests that things weren't great. Good luck finding a replacement.


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

Drinking at work is for people who make over $150k or under 5k


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## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

You did the right thing, if you let him have one it turns into 2 or 3, during break, etc. Blatantly testing your authority is enough.


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## Agility (Nov 29, 2013)

*Had To Fire A Guy Today*



colevalleytim said:


> He got beer anyway, said he sometimes gets one when he goes out to lunch.



Fired! I hope he has someone in his life to give him a dope slap because that's an awfully embarrassing reason to get canned, especially after getting a warning.


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## LI-Remodeler (Feb 3, 2015)

Alcohol is a drug, the most destructive drug in our society. Kills 260 people each day not to mention all the kids being neglected and abused, broken families and the billions in medical costs.

Yet ignorant morons treat beer as an innocent drink.


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## builditguy (Nov 10, 2013)

100% right. 

As above. #1 He tested your authority. #2 Alcohol and power tools do not mix. 

I should add that if someone challenges my authority, I do not immediately condemn them. If they are questioning my building methods. Questioning me about something like alcohol on the job? I wouldn't tolerate that.

Now, get ready for the unemployment filing.


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## NYgutterguy (Mar 3, 2014)

*Had To Fire A Guy Today*

Once in a while I'll stop at this thin crust pizza place and I'll grab an icy cold mug of beer while I wait for it to be ready for lunch. I see the same contractors in there drinking a liquid lunch whenever I stop by..old timers . The fact that you asked him not to and he did it is a dumbass move and I'm sure he would have been fired eventually for something else anyway.


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

Give em an inch, they'll take a mile. You did what you had to do even if you didn't want to do it. If he felt comfortable doing that in front of you, I can only imagine what he does when you're not around. 

BUT on the flip side of that situation, as an employer I'd consider myself to be equally at fault for taking the crew to lunch at a place that serves alcohol. You can't take someone to a bar and expect them to not to drink.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

...


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Reminds me of the old days when "old timer" Italian or Portuguese mason contractors would break for lunch and they would have the whole spread of home cooked meal, home made wine and after they were done, the work moved faster, the joints look good and clean, and the walls are straight and level. :thumbsup: Lunches like that were like industry standard practice at the time.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

It's one fvckin beer.


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## KAP (Feb 19, 2011)

Lawyers drink at lunch and even have bars in their office, but they don't work around tools, and their desk is big enough the customer can't smell the beer... 

You of course made the right call... what a dumb way to loose a job... 

Just curious... what was his reaction? Was he actually surprised?...

.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

At least it wasn't crack.


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## masonc (Aug 25, 2008)

colevalleytim said:


> I had to fire my employee today.
> 
> We were at lunch at a taco place. He said" I'm gonna get a beer"
> I said "don't, if you do, you're gonna have to go home."
> ...


I qork in solar, heights, high voltage electricity and alcohol don't mix. But if we were doing ground work, trenching or just cleaning out vans, I still do not permit alcohol during working hours. 
On any job, its my rules or go home. Any employee that deliberately ignores me goes home. I don't make petty rules, I often suggest what they should do and leave them to decide, but everyone knows that I make a rule, it is rigid. Otherwise there is no dicipline and the result is an unsafe workplace.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm glad I don't work for you hard asses, if I were in your employees shoes and I ordered a beer and you told me I'd be fired from my ****ty construction job if I drank it...I'd still drink it and then go find myself another ****ty construction job.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

You made the right call. What he did was unacceptable.


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