Final written warning!!!

[lily-lady]

Right....a few weeks ago myself and a work collegue were caught drinking in the work place..... I hasten to add that we were not in uniform and were not clocked into work. We were there to help out another friend close the shop [as it had been so busy]..... Anyhow we have both just been given a final written warning..... which we have accepted. However the manager who conducted the procedings kept spouting passages of our employees manual and telling us we should have read it. Good point....maybe we should have but we couldn't seeing as OUR manager has them locked in her filing cabinet. A friend of mine who used to be a union offical says that we can not be given a final written warning as we did not have our handbooks. Is this true? Btw...we work for a well known coffee house. So is this not a little bit extreme seeing as we were not actually working. TIA

[Dassie]

You were on the premises and drinking. That is enough to bring the Company into disrepute. You knew about the existance of the employees manual so why didn't you request to read it ?. You can't pass the buck on this one.
I would have done exactly the same thing as your manager in the circumstances

[Maisie1234]

I always thought that you had to be given two verbal warnings, then a written warning and then it was dismissal, also a written warning has to be from an official,not your manager, maybe you could visit your local Citizens Advice Bureau, if you were not in uniform, you would be like a member of the public, would they be given a warning??, all this seems a bit unfair.

[Dassie]

maisie-kind.

Verbal warnings can be given but it depends on the severity of the offence. Again, the handbook will have listed these and what constitutes a direct final written warning and indeed instant dismissal.

I would imagine the handbook would state drinking on the premises constitutes a final written warning and your manager would have the authority to issue it. He is a senior representative of the Company as a manager.

[Sasha13]

What you did could be construed as gross misconduct (as opposed to ordinary misconduct) so there is nothing to stop you being given a final written warning straight off, with no verbal or first written inbetween.

Have you ever seen a copy of the handbook? i.e. in your induction?? I bet you have at some point.

And besides, there is a bigger point here. You weren't being paid therefore why were working there? You could have been putting yourself at risk of injury while working and drinking at the same time - and I bet if you had been injured you would have blamed the employer.

Take this on the chin. You were in the wrong and didn't employ any common sense. If you had you'd have known you shouldn't have been doing what you were doing. Although you may be able to appeal the final written warning, whether you should is another matter.

[EverClean]

Everywhere I've worked this would lead to dismissal.

Usually companies such as this will get you to sign things in your induction, confirming recepit of handbook, etc.

I suspec that you'll not get very far with an appeal - as other posters have stated you were probably in the wrong and should just take this on the chin.