She could’ve been indulging in some dark/satirical/deadpan humor, and was so drunk that she forgot to ever let on that she was joking.
“she’d fire every minority working in the dealership if she could get away with it”
I dont think that could be ignored, its a stated intent to take racist action at work if the opportunity rises.
Anne has no way of knowing how often she’s been drunk before.
Otara
I think the OP says, or at least implies, that the sales staff goes out drinking together on a fairly regular basis (this happened when I was in car sales–once every other week, at least) and that Anne has has forgone drinking during such outings.
Perhaps this is the reason, because she does harbor these feelings towards minorities and recognizes that it would alienate her if she were to get intoxicated enough to let on that she feels this way. It’s not the one night of drinking that makes it an issue, plenty of people go out for drinks and socialize with coworkers after. It’s the fact that this drinking event resulted in her espousing some pretty nasty beliefs, which was poor judgment.
Does the fact that she has never done this before mitigate the occurrence this time? I say no. I also say it’s irresponsible to put the future of a branch/company/whatever in the hands of someone who is willing to act on her prejudices as she states she would.
“For once Anne goes with them.”
To me that suggests she doesnt drink with staff, but tells you nothing about her drinking patterns as effectively they’ve been hidden.
Otara
Honesty never does you wrong. I would have an honest talk with Anne, see what she has to say about her actions, and go from there. She might have some insight into why she said the things she did… I don’t think anything she can say can make it better, but an honest talk would better show where this stuff is coming from.
I’ve heard some people say some really crazy stuff when in mourning- sometimes you just want to say the most hurtful things you can because you feel so much pain yourself. I’d be hesitant to break someone’s career over something they said in these circumstances. That said, having a huge racist in a managerial position will certainly lead to problems. I think an honest talk would clear the air a bit and give a better idea of what to do next.
That last is probably true. The thing is, Anne could easily have been indoctrinated in racist ways of thinking as a child and rejected them as a adult–consciously, anyway; and yet find that deep down certain beliefs she works to, ah, disbelieve still lurk in her heart.
It’s not a company sponsered event, however it is an event attended by a large number of company employees. IMHO you are always “at work” when you are in front of your boss.
And it isn’t so much the drinking as it is the racism and anti-semetic comments. Aside from being offensive, it also exposes the company to risk. What if a black or jewish employees sues the company because they didn’t get a raise and it comes out the manager was known to have made racists comments?
Doesn’t matter how drunk someone was or that they never gave the merest hint of this kind of antipathy before. You’re done. Gone. Fired. I would never put someone of this mindset in charge of my people, any of my people, regardless of how well they have hidden it in the past.
The idea of firing all the minorities if she had her way is only the icing on the cake. Proof positive that this person cannot be entrusted with the careers of the people below her, or of your customers.
So you want to fire her for what she THINKS, even if that is at odds with what she DOES?
Why is keeping her in her current position not an option?
How do you justify firing her for the things she said unrelated to work and outside the workplace? Yes they are offensive, but you’d approach her and say, what, “I didn’t like the things you said when you were drunk, you’re fired”? You’re just substituting discrimination in the workplace for a wrongful termination, no more ethical than what she might do, but hasn’t done yet.
Because what she thinks WILL come out in what she does.
If the person just admitted that they didn’t particularly like a certain group, I can perhaps allow that to slide. But the things in the OP? This is not a person I can trust to do the right thing.
Saying ‘I am going to fire people if I get the chance’ is more than just ‘thinking’. Sometimes you dont have to wait till someone actually does something before you intervene.
I dont know how hypothetical this all is, but I think it would be a stretch to lay down that kind of planning about your current workplace setting to unconscious processes.
Otara
Assuming that doing so wouldn’t violate some kind of labor law, I would talk to Anne when she was sober, and voice my concerns about her drunken behavior, then gauge her response to see whether this was just some drunken grieving shit-talk, or a more serious issue.
I agree.
She was going through some serious “stuff” and drunk.
Drunks often latch on to whatever the last conversation was and continue to vent in wild ways.
“I’ll kill the bitch”, “I’m gonna quit my job tomorrow”, “I’m gonna buy a motorcycle. hit the road and leave my wife and kids”, “I’m gonna fire every asshole at work tomorrow!”
Great ideas, at the time.
In the morning, not so good.
Even after Mel Gibson’s racist rants, Whoopi Goldberg stood up for him and said basically that is not who he really is. I never liked Mel Gibson, but have to admit, drunks can say some amazingly stupid things.
Have a “sober” chat with her and let her know that was not cool. Chance are she will be humiliated for having said such things and would not act upon them.
What even sven said.
I voted “fire her”. Just the hate speech she evidenced would be enough for me, drunk or no. But the kicker is this: “she’d fire every minority working in the dealership if she could get away with it”. This tells me she’s probably doing lesser things (passing minorities over for recommendation for promotion, prejudicing work assignments, whatever) she can get away with now, even if unconsciously. This is not someone I’d want in any management position, ever. Which she already is, and demotion wasn’t an option listed. The risk of repercussion is too great, never mind my personal feelings. In 5 years’ time, do I want to drive up to my dad’s retirement getaway and break the news that I had to sell the company to pay for the lawsuit my minority employees brought against us for prejudicial hiring practices?
Hell, it isn’t even I’d want sweeping the floors in any company I was director of. I’d fire her.
I’ve never bought the in vino veritas thing. I know from experience that I will say things I don’t mean just when I’m angry. I can’t imagine what I’d say if the anger was chemically enhanced (as it sounds like it is here).
I wouldn’t pretend like it didn’t happen, but I’d give the employee a chance to prove herself. Heck, telling her that she’s being watched may do her even more good–she’ll have to counter any racism she’s actually feeling to keep the job.
Yeah, like Mel has turned over a new leaf since then.
I don’t see the two as anywhere near the same. Being drunk is not anything like being angry, though some people are “angry drunks”. I DO believe in vino veritas, I think alcohol takes the controls off your behavior.
I wouldn’t promote anyone who got drunk at company events to start with…that would have been a CLM for the entire team before anyone made racist statements, made a pass at someone else’s spouse, or decided to tell Bob what they REALLY thought of him. I’d be looking for management who knows how to behave professionally, and that means staying sober around your coworkers.