Coworker got drunk and missed her presentation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We held an in person symposium where our top 10% customers flew in from all over for 3 days of networking, recognition, and presentations.

My coworker got so drunk (with customers around) and entirely missed her presentation the next morning- no call, no show. We have spent 6+ months planning for this.

What would be the ramifications at your company?

If they were a mid/high performer, probably an awkward email from HR with details about our EAP.

If they were a low performer, probably termination.

How likely is it that a low performer would be put in a position to give such a presentation though?

[Anonymous]

I’d need to know a whole lot more about the employee and the situation. If this looks like what it is on the surface, immediate termination. If there could be some backstory, and this person is an otherwise good employee you’d otherwise retain, I’d go to a PIP to document corporate seriousness, send them way down on the responsibility ladder, and see if this person can walk back some degree of trust.

[Anonymous]

can they just give this sister a break? should one call out hungover define her? Is everybody perfect? maybe she never drinks but felt pressured to. thats the most likely scenario. has no tolerance for booze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can they just give this sister a break? should one call out hungover define her? Is everybody perfect? maybe she never drinks but felt pressured to. thats the most likely scenario. has no tolerance for booze.

It’s something the company has been prepping for for six months, according to OP. It wasn’t just missing a random day of work.

If I no called and no showed to court for a dispositive motion hearing because I got blackout drunk with the client the night before, I would correctly be immediately terminated absent some extraordinary situation like having been roofied.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on who she is and what she does. Are people at this symposium for the content of the presentations or for the networking? I suspect it's actually the latter and the sessions are just there to justify the time and money spent.

Assuming she is a good employee and this was a one time thing, I would expect a firm reprimand and maybe a PIP just to make it scary. I don't think she's getting fired unless they wanted to get rid of her anyway.

[Anonymous]

I honestly think the clients would be more impressed with the drinking than anything that was written in some powerpoint, sad to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

I don’t get this. The colleague showed up to the event the night before and then ghosted. Of course there was no back up plan besides someone else winging the slide deck. Do you all have understudies for everything?

At a major event that took six months to plan? Yes, you prepare for contingencies. Feel free to fire her, but at least reprimand whoever organized the event for their own negligence.

Are you crazy? No, you don't reprimand the people who showed up, not drunk or hungover, and did their jobs.

Not crazy at all. Are you? Are you in an organization that is one single-point failure away from a disastrous client meeting?

[Anonymous]

To be honest put her in sales. A lady who drinks and likes to party will sell more business than anyone than some dumb PowerPoint

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

I don’t get this. The colleague showed up to the event the night before and then ghosted. Of course there was no back up plan besides someone else winging the slide deck. Do you all have understudies for everything?

Yeah because people get sick! People just start throwing up five minutes before they go on. People’s kids and partners get sick and they have to leave immediately. There’s always a back up plan for a conference like that.

[Anonymous]

Forcing an employee to go out and hang with customers after hours gets a free pass IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

I don’t get this. The colleague showed up to the event the night before and then ghosted. Of course there was no back up plan besides someone else winging the slide deck. Do you all have understudies for everything?

Yeah because people get sick! People just start throwing up five minutes before they go on. People’s kids and partners get sick and they have to leave immediately. There’s always a back up plan for a conference like that.

In my entire legal career, I’ve never had someone become incapacitated hours before an oral argument or hearing ever. People get sick but they show up. Nobody has the resources or clients who want to pay for an understudy for every key event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

A back up plan predicated on the chance Suzie in sales got blackout drunk and no showed????

Who the eff do you all work for?

[Anonymous]

OP- any updates? When did she finally check in with her manager, or did she?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

Ding ding ding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was there no back up plan?

A back up plan predicated on the chance Suzie in sales got blackout drunk and no showed????

Who the eff do you all work for?

Back up plan in case suzie was sick, suzie's kid is in the emergency room, suzie was in a car accident, suzzie got stuck in traffic from a fatal accident, suzzie take Metro and the metro broke down, suzies parent died and she had to travel last night.....

We have people flying in and have staff has been working on something for 6 months, my staff better have back up plans for everything.