should i sack him!!

donnajunkie

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Why are Saturdays bound to be overtime? for some jobs, a 6 day week is the norm. Again, the OP doesn't say whether Saturdays were within the contract, or whether the employee is being offered Saturdays and declining, or being asked to do Saturdays and declining. Even if not required, it would impact on the rest of the team if one person regularly refuses, but the reasons for refusal are not necessarily relevant to a decision to dismiss.

i repeat if it wasnt overtime it would be grounds for instant dismissal. so logically it must be overtime. of course if it is written into the contract that employees must be willing to do overtime as and when required then they have grounds for discipline legally but as i have said i would never agree with this and therefore never advise it.

andygb

donnajunkie wrote: »

the op didnt say anything about it affecting his performance. it is fair to assume he knew the lad was hungover because the lad said so and maybe had bad breath. i have acknowledged from the start that if it happens regularly and impacts on performance regularly or if they have to meet clients then it is more serious. the description that was given wasnt particularly serious in my opinion.

I am afraid that you are living in "la la" land if you think this. There are many companies who will reprimand/discipline staff for being over the legal limit (for driving) even if they do not drive for a living, because it does impact negatively on your ability to do a job to the expected level.
I think that the OP should have a clear contract and working conditions mandate for every member of staff, outlining what is expected of them, duties, reasons for disciplinary action and subsequent procedures.
It just shows how far this country has gone down the drain, if some people on here think that it is acceptable to turn up to work half cut.

Conrad_Hart

brutus1983 wrote: »

in the last 6 weeks of working under my supervision hes turned up for work hungover twice.
refuses to work saturdays so he can play on his playstation even tho hes got a baby on the way in 4 months time
always on the mobile phone on facebook or something even after told to do something like tidy up or not paying attenion when im either explaining how to do something or how something works

whats topped it off today hes managed to loose an expensive drill which will cost nearly 300 to replace

hes a bright lad i want give him the chance but i cant see me letting him out on jobs on his own even if he does manage to get qualified

Heck, it that's what counts for bright these days I feel like I'm the sun itself.

brutus1983

sorry havent replied really hectic weekend

when i say hes bright is because hes got good results lately getting distinctions in all exam results also he left school with good exam results where most people that applied i was suprised that they manage tie their own shoe laces

i will have a word with the training provider

in relation to working saturdays it was laid down that saturday workings is a vital part of the job as some work on places can only be done outside normal working hours that includes working nights on some cases and working away

he gets paid 150 a week plus extra for working away or weekends that are worked and is expected to work atleast 40 hours a week which apparrently according to the training provider is generous as hes only expected to earn 95 a week

he does not drive our vans as hes not on the insurance policy due to his age it will cost us an extra 3k a year extra to insure him but is expected to operate plant on site such as cherry pickers so coming in with a hangover is a no no

thanks everyone for all your comments and this lad will be getting a kick up the backside from today

saintjammyswine

Person_one wrote: »

If the apprenticeship is arranged through a college with a formal arrangement then it might be that the college don't want him working weekends.

Sorry but as long as his working arrangements are legal and allow for the training element then the college will not get involved with what hours he does. The minimum is 30 a week for an apprenticeship, i.e. they have to be employed full time, how those hours happen doesnt really matter.

donnajunkie

andygb wrote: »

I am afraid that you are living in "la la" land if you think this. There are many companies who will reprimand/discipline staff for being over the legal limit (for driving) even if they do not drive for a living, because it does impact negatively on your ability to do a job to the expected level.
I think that the OP should have a clear contract and working conditions mandate for every member of staff, outlining what is expected of them, duties, reasons for disciplinary action and subsequent procedures.
It just shows how far this country has gone down the drain, if some people on here think that it is acceptable to turn up to work half cut.

i think maybe there is a difference in thinking depending on the type of work environment. i guess if you work in an office and are the type to go to bed at 10pm you will think having a few drinks the night before a work day as outrageous. i have always done more working class type jobs and have worked with many people who have had one too many the night before and it rarely affected their performance. so long as they were working as normal the boss didnt care if they had had a few drinks the night before.

Caroline_a

OP, I would check on your Employers Liability Insurance as many of them now will not pay out if the Employee has a high blood alcohol level. This is one of the reasons why many companies now have a regime of regularly testing for both alcohol and drugs.

Savvy_Sue

brutus1983 wrote: »

in relation to working saturdays it was laid down that saturday workings is a vital part of the job as some work on places can only be done outside normal working hours that includes working nights on some cases and working away

Sorry if I'm labouring this point, but was it in writing? Honestly, you really MUST have things in writing these days, it protects both sides.

Do all your staff have writing statements of their terms and conditions of employment? Do you have a disciplinary and grievance procedure? Do you have policies for using personal phones / other IT gizmos at work or in work time? If not, NOW is the time to sort this out!

Acc72

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

It's often the case that small family run firms grow organically, more or less informally. Auntie Flo helps out on Fridays if there's a rush job, cousin Mike will do the odd Saturday to help out etc. No-one counts how many days' holiday they take, no-one expects to be paid for overtime, everyone works hard and no-one messes about.

Then the day comes when the first 'proper' employee arrives, and the structures just aren't there.

Totally agree with the above.

To the OP, there are a lot of freelance HR companies these days who can review your current systems and procedures and help you to bring these up to speed.

They are there to protect both the employee and employer.

liney

donnajunkie wrote: »

i have always done more working class type jobs and have worked with many people who have had one too many the night before and it rarely affected their performance. so long as they were working as normal the boss didnt care if they had had a few drinks the night before.

If you walked onto any number of factory shops floor smelling of alcohol from the night before, you are liable to be dismissed. I suspect you have very limited experience of a lax employer if they accepted this as normal behavior.

Machinery, hand tools and forklift trucks are all dangerous enough without pie eyed employees being around.

The symptoms of a hangover, which generally include: headache, dehydration, stomach ache, sickness, and hot/cold sweats, I feel unavoidably effect performance.