Substance Abuse in Corporations
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 16,246
pdm…..LOL! you have not motivated me to go to the google machine to check out some things...like, Brenda Spencer....and, the term "Kyiarhy"......lol...it sounds kind of like a musical band, to me.....lol.....
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 319
Originally Posted by dandylion 
pdm…..LOL! you have not motivated me to go to the google machine to check out some things...like, Brenda Spencer....and, the term "Kyiarhy"......lol...it sounds kind of like a musical band, to me.....lol.....
(The kyriarchy info is fascinating to me- made so much sense to me when I stumbled upon that- not very well known! And Brenda Spencer was terrifying. :/. She’s in the “Killing America” documentary).
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,254
Ah the workplace alcoholics/addicts. Just likes friends and family many work environments wind up enabling the substance abusers. Management ignores the problems for productivity and morale along with administrative lazyness. Fellow employees wind up covering for abusing employees making excuses for them, picking up their slack or constantly correcting their screw ups.
What surprises me about drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace it goes beyond the law or what it is ethical I guess. One would assume in a highly controlled environment rich with it's own set of formal rules and polices even those ethically or criminally challenged would stay in line just for their career or paycheck. That extra incentive seems to little effect.
I've seen too many alcoholics and/or drug addicts fly under the radar for years then they either get caught/do something REALLY bad or their habit catches up to them to the point no one can cover for them.
To me management who should be example should be THE ones going drug and alcohol free in front of their peers. But like most they work a job for a paycheck, not status or career. The problem I see is when the younger and/or newer employees witness this because many can't differentiate between what is legal or company practice. A young person sees an authority figure do something like drugs and alcohol that helps validate it and give them a tolerance for it.
What surprises me about drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace it goes beyond the law or what it is ethical I guess. One would assume in a highly controlled environment rich with it's own set of formal rules and polices even those ethically or criminally challenged would stay in line just for their career or paycheck. That extra incentive seems to little effect.
I've seen too many alcoholics and/or drug addicts fly under the radar for years then they either get caught/do something REALLY bad or their habit catches up to them to the point no one can cover for them.
To me management who should be example should be THE ones going drug and alcohol free in front of their peers. But like most they work a job for a paycheck, not status or career. The problem I see is when the younger and/or newer employees witness this because many can't differentiate between what is legal or company practice. A young person sees an authority figure do something like drugs and alcohol that helps validate it and give them a tolerance for it.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,792
UPDATE:
I went home early on Thursday because the computer system was down....over the ENTIRE company. By 2 o'clock I went to my local boss and suggested that I go home to save payroll since we were dead in the water.
Meanwhile, corporate issued memos directing us to conduct "business as usual."
I also went to war briefly over corporate's decision to delete the Spanish files from our database. This means I can only give a basic assessment to Spanish speaking people, ruling out a screening I normally perform on everyone for possible tumors. I sent a detailed e-mail and left a detailed voice mail for the Operations Manager, who has chosen to ignore me. I have made the professional decision to only see English speaking people from now on for ethical reasons. All of a sudden, I feel like some sort of racist.
I am predicting that, unless the CEO of my company does some drastic house cleaning in my division, that we will come crashing down in 2-5 years.
When this happens, many of you will be very surprised. My company has a public image of stability. And, it's a biggie.
I went home early on Thursday because the computer system was down....over the ENTIRE company. By 2 o'clock I went to my local boss and suggested that I go home to save payroll since we were dead in the water.
Meanwhile, corporate issued memos directing us to conduct "business as usual."
I also went to war briefly over corporate's decision to delete the Spanish files from our database. This means I can only give a basic assessment to Spanish speaking people, ruling out a screening I normally perform on everyone for possible tumors. I sent a detailed e-mail and left a detailed voice mail for the Operations Manager, who has chosen to ignore me. I have made the professional decision to only see English speaking people from now on for ethical reasons. All of a sudden, I feel like some sort of racist.
I am predicting that, unless the CEO of my company does some drastic house cleaning in my division, that we will come crashing down in 2-5 years.
When this happens, many of you will be very surprised. My company has a public image of stability. And, it's a biggie.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,792
I'm kicking this thread because I have a funny story.
A membership only megacompany, who shall remain nameless, had a paying member since 1994.
There were press releases a couple of months ago, stating that wearing a mask while shopping at several of the box stores was optional. The megacompany was one of those locations.
So this lady, who had her COVID injections, went shopping and didn't wear a mask.
When she got there, some employees started bugging her to put a mask on. She refused.
When she got to the front registers, the location manager was waiting on her.
He told her he would allow her to complete her purchase, but she would be receiving a letter from him revoking her membership.
The letter arrived telling her that she was permanently banned for life from ever shopping in any of their locations. The letter also stated that the decision was "permanent."
This lady has become a bit of a celebrity on the web. Commentators have stated that they are pulling their memberships from the megacompany and going to the competitors.
Now for the punchline:
The rejected member is the sister of our county sheriff.
A membership only megacompany, who shall remain nameless, had a paying member since 1994.
There were press releases a couple of months ago, stating that wearing a mask while shopping at several of the box stores was optional. The megacompany was one of those locations.
So this lady, who had her COVID injections, went shopping and didn't wear a mask.
When she got there, some employees started bugging her to put a mask on. She refused.
When she got to the front registers, the location manager was waiting on her.
He told her he would allow her to complete her purchase, but she would be receiving a letter from him revoking her membership.
The letter arrived telling her that she was permanently banned for life from ever shopping in any of their locations. The letter also stated that the decision was "permanent."
This lady has become a bit of a celebrity on the web. Commentators have stated that they are pulling their memberships from the megacompany and going to the competitors.
Now for the punchline:
The rejected member is the sister of our county sheriff.
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Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 259
Hmm this seems to be more of a clash between opinions on company autonomy and rights vs individual rights and choices than relating to the dynamic of alcohol in corporate work culture.
For what it's worth, I don't really see the issue with the company revoking her membership in this instance. Most stores have regulations they expect customers to follow, such as shirts and shoes and what not. If this site was a franchise, and the owner/manager posted that they still expect masks to be worn in their store, then it seems fair to enforce that rule.
For what it's worth, I don't really see the issue with the company revoking her membership in this instance. Most stores have regulations they expect customers to follow, such as shirts and shoes and what not. If this site was a franchise, and the owner/manager posted that they still expect masks to be worn in their store, then it seems fair to enforce that rule.
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: maine
Posts: 1,548
I suspect there's more to the story, but
If a company published "no masks needed" and harassed me for not wearing one, I'd make a fuss, too. If what you meant was, "governor says masks are optional, but megacorp still requires them for shopping in it's stores" well she's outta luck. Only news I found was from july of 2020, most places required masks then.
If a company published "no masks needed" and harassed me for not wearing one, I'd make a fuss, too. If what you meant was, "governor says masks are optional, but megacorp still requires them for shopping in it's stores" well she's outta luck. Only news I found was from july of 2020, most places required masks then.
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,792
Dear Cookie and Velma
You are both right. There is more to the story. We are all certainly entitled to our opinions.
My opinion is that I think barring somebody for life from ever shopping there again over a mask infraction is extreme. That company has customers who regularly abuse employees verbally, and they haven't lost their membership.
Fast forward a couple of months, and masks are officially optional. I'm sure the lady in question is still barred from shopping, however.
You are both right. There is more to the story. We are all certainly entitled to our opinions.
My opinion is that I think barring somebody for life from ever shopping there again over a mask infraction is extreme. That company has customers who regularly abuse employees verbally, and they haven't lost their membership.
Fast forward a couple of months, and masks are officially optional. I'm sure the lady in question is still barred from shopping, however.
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Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 259
Yeah, it is probably a pretty extreme measure, particularly if there was room for confusion based on a corporate mask mandate that was different from that particular location. That said, it's hard to tell for sure without knowing the whole story. The woman in question may have been really belligerent in her refusal to wear a mask and push back against the employees, maybe that had something to do with the ban? I have no idea, it's all speculation ofc.
Like most things it's not a cut and dry topic. I still wear masks most of the time I go out, even though I'm vaccinated, because it never really bothered me to do so, it's still safer, and I don't like people in general anyways. 😏 For the topic as a whole though, it's an interesting intersection between where to draw the line for personal freedom not to wear a mask as a choice, vs the protections other people have or not against the increased risk others not wearing a mask creates, and then add in the lines between state/federal mandates and private businesses on top of it.
Like most things it's not a cut and dry topic. I still wear masks most of the time I go out, even though I'm vaccinated, because it never really bothered me to do so, it's still safer, and I don't like people in general anyways. 😏 For the topic as a whole though, it's an interesting intersection between where to draw the line for personal freedom not to wear a mask as a choice, vs the protections other people have or not against the increased risk others not wearing a mask creates, and then add in the lines between state/federal mandates and private businesses on top of it.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,792
On a lighter note, I must confess reversion to a misunderstanding I had as a child.
The word was "bapcination."
Bapcination:
1. An injection one receives at the doctor's office.
2. A rite where water is put onto someone at church by the pastor.
The word was "bapcination."
Bapcination:
1. An injection one receives at the doctor's office.
2. A rite where water is put onto someone at church by the pastor.
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