Need advice on reporting something at work

[RandySF]

I work for a municipality in Ca. Last night, I was the last to leave the office and when I went to the restroom, I smelled pot either smoked in there or previously smoked by someone who just stepped in. Since we have people in my department who operate vehicles and heavy equipment, it's a VERY serious matter. If I tell my boss, he will immediately do what he can to figure out who it was. Part of me feels like I should say something but at the same time, I did not witness anything. What would you do?

[ret5hd]

1. 3...2...1

:popcorn:

will the lady with the big hair scrunch down some please? I can't see.

[Javaman]

35. pass some over here!

:popcorn:

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I would alert him to the fact that you smelled smoke. It will be up to him to figure out what to do

next. Maybe have a department meeting on the dangers of using pot and operating heavy equipment.

[MercutioATC]

5. Exactly.

As an employee, the duty is to inform.

Let the suits deal with it.


(and, unless one wishes to become wildly unpopular at work, one should probably make sure they can't be identified as the source of the report)

[Sheepshank]

52. What if the after hours cleaning crew

also smelled it and turned it in?

Our municipal building has overhead security cameras that would be able to detect comings and goings from the bathroom.

There may be a likelihood that you are going to be swept up into any investigation anyway....assuming (1) the cleaning crew reported and (2) there were any surveillance or witnesses to potty goers.

[Double T]

3. Don't stir up an inquisition.

The person doing the smoking had probably already finished work and was just having his/her 'after work cocktail'.

[MajorChode]

14. I don't see how it would be that much different if it were booze

If someone wants to have an "after work cocktail", they need to do that shit in their own home or at the very least away from work. If I saw someone boozing it up in the employees can, I would sure as hell turn them in, even though I'll be sipping a martini shortly after I get home. If they can't wait until they get to an appropriate place, chances are they have a problem, and one person's problem at work quite often turns into everyone's problem.

[kentuck]

32. Start a rumor...

tell a couple of other employees that "someone" smelled pot in the bathroom. The warning may get to the right people. Like other drugs, it should not be used with heavy machinery. But, as someone said, be careful you don't start an "inquisition". The chances are that management will have a meeting or a class on the subject. The end result should be for the best.

[T Wolf]

4. Nothing. Unless you have more info than you now have, it will only cause grief

and problems.

Kind of like yelling "fire" in a theater.

How do you know it was an employee going out to "operate vehicles and heavy equipment?" Could have been someone on their way home. Or a visitor.

Don't be such a prude.

[babylonsister]

6. I don't know what can be done. No proof, no nada. I suppose they

could force everyone to take a pee test, but can they afford that?

And what if a stranger who doesn't work there just saw an opportunity?

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to alert your boss so he can be on the look out.

[asdjrocky]

7. You're in Ca right?

Pot is legally used all over Ca as medication. I have my card. This person may have been medicating.

And no one like tattle-tells.

[MajorChode]

16. Some people have prescriptions for morphine. That doesn't mean they can shoot up at work.

If someone is "medicating" and they have a prescription to do so, then they really wouldn't have anything to fear from being exposed. Of course that assumes they are also approved by their employer to do so. Quite a few drugs have warnings about operating heavy machinery and I'm kinda thinking enforcing that warning at work is not a bad idea.

If someone is putting themselves or others in danger, it's not quite the same thing as someone spending an extra 5 minutes on their lunch break.

[asdjrocky]

23. Then by all means, let's conduct a full investagation.

This is important!1!! I'm seris!!11

[MajorChode]

26. Or we can just hand everyone a joint when they walk in the door

No, I'm not series.

[asdjrocky]

27. So there's no happy middle?

[MajorChode]

28. Apparently not for some

Cheers!

[asdjrocky]

29. I think we just found one.

Cheers to you!

[MajorChode]

30. You lookin in the mirror?

If not, check post #23, then look up 'sarcasm' in the dictionary.

Have a nice day.

[asdjrocky]

31. Sometimes the middle ground is to agree to disagree.

I was trying to be nice, and you're just being a jerk.

You have a nice day too.

[MajorChode]

33. So tossing a snark in is your way of being nice?

I'd hate to see your nasty side.

[asdjrocky]

34. Yeah, you would.

You tossed the first snark-


Here's what I said-

I think we just found one.
Cheers to you!

Here's what you said-

You lookin in the mirror? (and to top it off)
If not, check post #23, then look up 'sarcasm' in the dictionary.
Have a nice day.

So, of course I responded with-

Sometimes the middle ground is to agree to disagree.
I was trying to be nice, and you're just being a jerk.
You have a nice day too.

You seem like the type that throws but cries when he has to take one. I was really trying to be nice and just leave it be when I said "cheers to you". Now you cry that I'm snarking? Wow, you're something else.

[MajorChode]

38. It's time to send up the flag

So you were just "trying to be nice" on post #23???

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Keep it up. Soon there won't be a dry eye in the house.

[sabrina 1]

43. Informers are always jerks ~ that;'s why nobody

likes them. It's their way or the highway. Good for you for trying to compromise. Sometimes it just doesn't work though.

[asdjrocky]

47. Thank you.

I'm glad someone saw that I was really trying. Sometimes you just wish someone would smoke a joint and mellow out. :hi:

[MajorChode]

48. Potheads unite!

Yep, if someone is getting high they MUST be OK no matter what.

Also just a point of order here. If you're going to call someone a "jerk", you might want to reply to them directly. Otherwise someone might think you're a chickenshit, but I'm sure that's not the case with you since you're so well liked and all.

Cheers!

[sabrina 1]

53. More false assumptions from you.

I personally have no interest in being around people who are high. I do not smoke pot or do any other kind of drugs ~ but if I am around people who are high, unless they are being obnoxious, it doesn't bother me at all.

Iow, I don't feel the need to tell others what to do, or to support in any way a farce called 'The War on Drugs' that has caused more harm to this democracy than pot could ever do by buying into the lies that the sky is falling if someone smokes a joint, and we must 'turn them in'! The hyper-ventilation over trivia is astounding.

But it's interesting that you assume people only care about issues that they are personally affected by. It would not affect me in the least if drugs disappeared off the face of the earth, I wouldn't miss them. But drugs are not the issue. And other people, at least imo, have rights, which I respect.

As for being liked, I definitely am and always have been extremely popular, not that it matters but since you asked .... sort of :-)

[MajorChode]

54. Wow, I'm the only one making false assumptions?

You might want to consider judging yourself rather than others sometime. Who knows, it might be fun!

Your assumptions about me couldn't be any more wrong. I don't smoke pot, and I don't have any desire to smoke pot, but I'm all for legalizing it for a variety of reasons. So don't be so sure your assumptions are the only ones that are right, because you might be in for a rude surprise someday.

I could really give two shits what someone does on their own time, however drugs and alcohol have their time and place, and there's some places where they have no business being. And if I find someone doing them in the workplace or on the road or any other place that puts my friends, my family, or my self in danger, then you bet your sweet ass I'm going to turn them in. Nobody has a "right" to infringe on other people's safety. So call me a "jerk" or an "informant" or whatever other childish prison mentality names you want. I do just fine myself WITHOUT worrying about what other people think of me, but probably a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'd rather say something directly to someone rather than do it behind their back. Respect is more important to me than being "popular". YMMV.

[sabrina 1]

42. Lol! That's my feeling also ~

[roody]

8. I'd let it go.

[skier_]

39. Live and let live.

[Hepburn]

9. Was this during any work hours for anyone operating heavy equipment?

They often do not work regular 9 to 5 hours for various reasons. If so and you believe it to be MJ smoke, report it. Better to be wrong than to let it slide and someone is killed or injured.

BTW: I highly doubt if any visitor would light up a joint in the john of a business.

[livetohike]

10. Since you didn't see anyone smoking, what good would it do

to report that you smelled pot smoke? What could your supervisor do about it, if he doesn't know who was responsible? Are there random drug tests there?

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. As it was late, and you were the last to leave it was more than late,

then it was likely someone just having one 'for the road' (which could include walking or bicycling). If it was in the morning or at lunch, when the smoker was headed back for work, it might be a problem. In the PM, after work, no problem.

[northernlights]

tell the boss

there is no way he can figure out who it was for sure. The most he'll be able to do is a group talk on the dangers of
smoking and driving, drinking and driving, etc., and that it's illegal and grounds for firing.

And, while I believe pot should be perfectly legal to smoke in one's home, smoking *anything* anywhere else is pretty much not cool in my book. Your right to smoke ends where my upper respiratory tract begins, tyvm. Personally, I'm seriously allergic to cigarette smoke -- to the point that in enclosed areas it causes me to puke my guts out and dry heave when there's nothing left to puke. :puke:

And smoking and driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving, and both should be illegal with serious penalties (loss of license). Imho, of course. It's not about prudishness. It's about life. If you want to commit suicide, be my guest. Just please don't take me, or my friends or family with you.

[seabeyond]

12. nope, wouldnt say anything. and i am into taking responsibility and speaking out

now... if it were an employee i watched get smashing drunk walking out i would say something.

but not this

[tularetom]

13. I'd go in there after hours in a day or two

And keep going back for a week or two to see if I could detect it again. If it happens two or three times it would be proper to alert your boss. If not, it was a one shot deal and better forgotten.

[reflection]

15. Is the restroom available to the general public

or is it employee only?

If the former, I'd probably let it go. If the latter, I suppose you should tell your boss. Or if you're not the confrontational type, perhaps send him an anonymous note. :shrug:

[madokie]

17. Keep my mouth shut

and thats what I suggest you do but my better sense tells me here shortly someone maybe even you will be all over me like ugly on ape. Smoking pot is not endangering you nor anyone else. grow up, better yet wake up

[sabrina 1]

18. Wow, so many willing to be informers over

someone else claiming they smelled smoke. The Drug War may not have stopped the crime and the killings, but it certainly has turned ordinary people into the kind of people who told the 'authorities' who was a Jew and who wasn't in Nazi Germany. Of course, they too believed that it was their duty as 'those people' were a serious threat to their country, not just a threat to one or two people in a car. You could say that since they were indoctrinated into believing that, they had more of an excuse for being snitches than this OP who smelled a little smoke.

I always wondered what it would take to get people to turn their co-workers, neighbors, friends in.

Not much, it looks like.

Oh, for the record, there is no way I would report such a thing. I smelled plenty of pot at parties and elsewhere and it never occurred to me to turn anyone in, and btw, I have never smoked it myself. And there was no major disaster as a result of my minding my own business. What a horrible country this has become.

Funny thing, I wouldn't be surprised if the most willing to turn in this 'person' here, are the most likely to be pot smokers themselves.

[Berry Cool]

20. Oh, give me a break. This is NOT the equivalent of smelling pot at parties.

This is hardly a Nazi-esque situation. The OP is talking about a workplace, for crying out loud.

I'd say, tell the boss about it, but say you had no way of knowing who it was and were not going to snoop and find out. That way, as some others have said, the most that can be done is that the management can remind everyone that drug use on the job is not acceptable. The person who did it can think "uh-oh, almost got caught, never gonna do that again at work" and behave more wisely from then on. If that person chooses not to do so and gets caught later by a more watchful management, it's not your fault.

[MajorChode]

25. Apparently some can't tell the difference

And that's pretty pathetic. Comparing the situation to Hitler only adds to the hilarity.

[sabrina 1]

46. If the shoe fits ~

Although I was comparing the situation to the people who bought into what he preached, not to Hitler himself. One thing he proved is that given the circumstances and a little propaganda together with some fear-mongering, and people will rationalize anything, no matter how despicable it is.

[sabrina 1]

41. At a party, in the workplace

Big deal she smelled smoke! Teachers and others were encouraged to turn in students or colleagues who might possibly be Jewish also, some did because it was 'the law' and some did not.

It's a mindset. And it's here even on the left, or maybe moreso I'll have to check with my rightwing friends.

The only reason this is such a big, huge deal to you is because you've succumbed beautifully to the politics of fear, the indoctrination. And it is so well done, you are certain that when you do it, it's 'different' to when others do it. It's all for the 'common good'.

What do you care if someone smokes a joint at work? How is that your business, unless of course you agree with the whole sham laughingly called The Drug War and that everyone who has a drink or smokes a joint is a threat to society. The authoritarians have done their work well.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Learn to read. We said to tell the boss of the smoke. That's all we said. No one's turning anybody

in, they would be turning in information.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

19. If your boss is anything like the Plant (idiot) Mgr. who terminated my position last year, I'd keep

quiet. Of course we're talking about a Plant Mgr. who let an employee run a machine that was used to bend and cut metal. This was even though he was so drunk when he showed up that a couple of guys had to hold him up and lead him to his machine after he ran into the front door on the way in and fell down a few times. No risk there.......
If there is a suggestion box, maybe you could drop a note in there suggesting a refresher course for all employees by the person in charge of safety procedures.

[Arkansas Granny]

22. If it was me, I would let the boss know what I smelled and let him take it from there.

Report it anonymously, if you wish, but report it. Your boss deserves to know if this is happening in your department as he would ultimately be responsible for actions taken by the employees under him.

If this was done by an employee, he/she used very poor judgment which may be reflected in other decisions that person makes which could affect other co-workers or the public. Smoking pot at work, whether on or off the clock, is a really stupid thing to do.

[MindPilot]

24. Say nothing.

You don't have enough information to do anything but stir up trouble. You risk branding yourself as a snitch, and depending on your boss, you may be the one to fall under suspicion. "Mmmmmkay, and how exactly do YOU know what pot smells like?"

[Javaman]

36. got to love these hit and run posts.

nothing like a good "controversy" to stir up the pot.

man, you are all so gullible.

[redqueen]

37. I get sucked in sometimes, too.

But damn... pot smoke in CA? OMGWTFBBQ! CALL THE FBI! :eyes:

[Javaman]

40. I know. LOL I think the poster would be more worried if he DIDN'T smell it.

:rofl:

[Dora]

44. I had the same thought. nt

[aikoaiko]

45. my suggestion: MYOB

[RagAss]

49. So you're gonna tell the boss who probably stinks of booze?

[rug]

50. Narc.

[DefenseLawyer]

51. No one likes a tattle-tale. n/t