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I walked in to find three of my coworkers drinking beers. I am underage (17) and have never drunk real beer. I inform them that it is illegal to drink during work hours (so I thought at the time). We were on lunch. One said jokingly “want one?” This was both grossly unethical to drink before going back to work and a very bad example for me.
Any help here?
Rachel’s Answer:
First, let me say congratulations for recognizing your coworker’s unprofessional actions and for refusing to drink. You obviously have a good head on your shoulders for such a young age. While I’m not much older than you, it took me much longer to mature into a professional role in the workplace.
It sounds as if your coworkers were drinking on the job site. It’s extremely rare for employers to allow employees to openly drink on the job (even if it is their lunch break). It is difficult to comment not knowing the policies of your employer. The first thing you should do is find out whether your employer has a Drug and Alcohol policy. This will tell you management’s stance on the issue. If there is a Drug and Alcohol policy then I would be more likely to advise you to speak up.The simple HR answer would be to tell you to speak directly with your supervisor. However, as the coworker of these individuals you’re in an uncomfortable position. If you take action you run the risk of alienating your coworkers and facing retaliation.
I imagine you’re probably working a entry level job in an non-professional setting. At your age you best bet is to use stereotypes about your age to your advantage and play dumb. This means instead of telling your supervisor “I saw Jim and Bobby drinking on the job!” you say something like “I was wondering what the policy was on alcohol in the workplace on lunch break?” If your supervisor says it’s against the rules then you lightly say “Oh, because I saw Jim and Bobby drinking a beer the other day and I was just curious” and twiddle your thumbs and walk away. This way you’re less likely to be labeled a snitch and face retaliation by your coworkers. If your supervisor says it’s okay then just distance yourself from these coworkers and stay out of it. Keep in mind that just because your supervisor approves it does not mean that you should engage in the same unprofessional activity.
When you’re older, in a higher position, or in an more professional setting you can be more direct about taking these issues to your supervisor. Right now I’d be more careful about what you say. The exception would be if you worked a job in which you felt your safety was compromised due to your coworker’s drinking.
Whether or not you decide to speak to your supervisor, it would be in your best interest to distance yourself from these individuals. They have shown poor judgment not only by drinking on the job but also offering you alcohol. 
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I have a differing thought here. Rachel is right, it is unprofessional and it was a good choice to not take them up on the offer. But before you decide to be a snitch think a bit more about the actual results of their actions.
Did they have a drink or were they getting drunk?
Did you notice a difference in their job performance due to the drinks at lunch?
What I’m getting at here is discerning why you’re bothered by their actions. If this is your personal issue then you should raise it with them individually. If you follow Rachels advice and go to mangaement (after appropriate research) ask yourself what purpose you are serving through your actions.
Are you acting for a valid reason, or just because it’s ‘proper.’ Truth of the matter is, proper and improper are not the responsibility of anyone but the individual. You may not want to have a drink (indeed it’s illegal to do so), but does that make it wrong for someone else to do so? If it doesn’t actually affect you or your job then it’s probably not your business and I’d recommend ignoring it.
Theo makes a good point. When my son is old enough to understand, I will be teaching him the same thing about “telling” on people.
Always examine your motivations. Are you telling the boss to get someone in trouble? To make yourself look good? To make youself FEEL good that you have the moral high ground?
Or are you doing it because you want to prevent someone from hurting themselves or others?
The former is being a “snitch”. The latter is being a good person.
What about making it even more general? After asking about the policy, say, “Oh, thanks, there seems to be some confusion about that.” Just say that the issue came up. The vague statement should let the boss know that there is a need for greater vigilance, or at least some more training. I’m not sure what the benefit of naming names would be, unless there is an immediate danger to that person or someone else.
Someone I respect once said, “If you want to know what people want, look at what they have. If you think they SHOULD want something else and you try to give it to them, you’re operating on a dangerous set of assumptions and you’re the one who’s not going to get what you want.”
Which is the long way of staying, “Keep out of other people’s business or they will hurt you.”
I think that goes double for the workplace. If her boss came to her and said, “Have you seen people drinking?” then she shouldn’t lie. Otherwise, she should do what she’s been asked to do and nothing more. Low-level employment is learning to get along, and to do only what’s been asked.
I think in order to give any kind of good addvice we need to know what kind of job sittuation we are dealing with. I’m pretty sure in a corporate environment you save your drinking for happy hour. But as a carpenter its no big deal to have a beer at lunch time.I actually find this kinda funny. Since I was recently working with my boss’s son who is only 16 and we offered him a beer. He politly turned us down, we wouldn’t have given it to him if he had said yes, but we offered. I would say as long as its one or two and not six beers its no big deal. And there is a good chance the boss already knows about it. Bottom line, if you are working on any kind of construction site you are going to find alot of things like drugs, porn and booze.Atleast if you still have this job when you are 21 you will know who has the beer.
If this person asked me about this on a job site I would just luagh. And maybe tell them to “suck it up cup-cakes”. “If you can’t stand the smoke stay out of the bar”.
Theo - You make a good point. I think it’s hard to differentiate wanting people to be as professional as us and accepting that some people will just do what they do.
Kate - That’s also a great suggestion.
Liz - Low-level employment is also dealing with the fact that workplace life is not a pretty picture and learning when to keep your mouth shut and when not to.
Carpenter - It does depend on the industry and the job. Drinking at lunch may be okay for the sales people at one company but not okay for the machine operators at the same company.
Thanks Grandma. Way to buy into a goodie-two-shoes desire to have her head patted. If it isn’t patently obvious, she didn’t need your sophomoric advice on this one.
17? This is not a bona fide question. She just wanted her b.s. sense of superiority affirmed. Quite intoxitating — for the emotionally needy.