Going for the Kill

In many ways the hourly employees on the production floor are like a pack of wolves. Constantly on the hunt for the weak, the defenseless, the employee sitting next to them that may have looked at them crossly the day before or has some quality about them that they envy.

The leader of the pack is the loud one, the most abrasive one, the one that demands attention from anyone in their vicinity. The remainder of the pack are the followers, the wanna-be's, the employees that need the pack for acceptance and protection.

The prey is almost always the quiet employee, the employee that comes to work every day, does their job, and goes home without complaint. As a manager, the prey is what I seek to find, these are the keepers, the employees that can be relied upon in almost every situation.

Unfortunately, it is the pack that eventually antagonizes the good employees until they feel they can take it no longer, and quit.

A situation I've seen happen more then once. A situation I am intolerant of.

I was approached today by one of my receivers who felt the need to go into great detail to tell me her coworker, another receiver, was drunk, you could smell the stench of booze on her from a mile away.

As I sat there listening to what she was saying I couldn't help but get irritated by her.

First of all, I had spent the previous 2 hours with this individual in an IPC class. Oddly, the stench of booze didn't knock me out even though I was sitting a mere 24 inches from her. Nor did I notice any slurring in her speech as she participated in class.

Secondly, who was she? And, in what way was she qualified to condemn anyone without a thorough investigation?

Irritated and a little angry, I headed down to the HR office to consult our HR director on what actions I should take. While I know this woman is an alcoholic outside work, I did not believe she carried her problem with her to work nor had I noticed it affecting her ability to perform her job.

This, of course, spurned the investigation.

Now under surveillance, this poor receiver (without knowing anything at all out of the ordinary is happening) has been approached and talked to by the HR director, myself, and another manager to see if she is in fact under the influence of alcohol and therein committing a policy violation punishable by termination.

The findings?

She is NOT drunk. Just the newest object of prey for a pack of wolves.