Internet viewers are in disbelief over what happened to an employee—on their day off.
The employee, a Reddit user going by u/sunny_6305, shared their story in the subreddit “mildly infuriating,” where it quickly went viral, receiving more than 110,000 upvotes. “I got called into HR because a coworker said I was sneaking liquor in my coffee,” the poster wrote. The accompanying image shows a glass bottle of vanilla coffee syrup. “It was my day off today, too,” they added.
Steve Degnan, adviser at Next Gen Nutrition Investment Partners, told Newsweek that the situation highlights a common issue in workplace investigations. Degnan said that the first thing any good HR person should be thinking about is the principle of reasonable suspicion.
“Whether it’s drug testing or any other form of alleged misconduct, HR should look for multiple data points before taking action,” Degnan said. “In a case like this, where someone is accused of having alcohol in their coffee, I would need more than a bottle that looks suspicious. I’d want a screenshot showing the label and evidence of impaired behavior before acting on it.”
Degnan added that context also plays a key role: “As part of evaluating gossip or rumors, HR should also consider the dynamics behind the situation. Are these co-workers rivals? Is there destructive competition or past disagreements? Understanding the context is crucial before making any judgments or decisions.”
Degnan said that, in his experience, thorough investigations always involve “multiple data points, witnesses, dates, times, and supporting context before taking any action. It sounds like, in this case, someone may have jumped the gun.”
Meanwhile, Reddit users found humor in the situation, sharing their own similar experiences. “My new water bottle would just be a glass bottle in a brown paper bag,” wrote one user.
“I was drinking Perrier out of a 750ml bottle at my desk once and someone thought I was drinking a 40. I had to explain to them that it was sparkling mineral water,” added another user.
“One time I bought a bottle of martinellis while on my lunch break to bring home after, and my boss was like ‘why did you bring champagne to work?'” shared a third viewer.
“I used to use similar coffee flavors at work, and had multiple co-workers joke about it. Nobody turned me in for it though. That’s crazy,” added one user.
“I got reported for being ‘hungover’ bc [because] I was puking in the restroom every other day. I was pregnant,” shared another.
Newsweek reached out to u/sunny_6305 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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