Operating Under the Influence
My neighbor passes out drunk on the stoop, waking me with agonized groans; he blasts music at crazy hours; and he enjoys adult entertainment at embarrassing volumes. He is a surgical assistant at the local hospital, and I suspect he goes to work intoxicated. If an anonymous letter got him fired, patients would be safer, and with no salary, he’d soon have to move out. Game, set, match. But would I be overstepping my bounds? What if he starts a downward spiral that ends terribly? Would I be responsible? NAME WITHHELD, NEW YORK
Your neighbor’s behavior around the apartment is shocking. It’s crude. And it’s irrelevant.
None of his off-putting behavior — not the loud music, not the binge drinking, not the loyal support of the adult-film industry — is proof that he’s doing anything wrong on the job. He may be one of the many people who keep it together during the week then let loose over the weekend, only to arrive back at work Monday showered and shaved and qualified for duty.
If, on the other hand, he’s going to work drunk, if he is stumbling and weaving as he heads off to the bus or, even worse, to his car, then alerting his employers is not only ethical but also imperative. Do it quickly, before he stumbles into the operating room and does some real damage.
But are you sure that is what’s going on? I notice that you describe the offenses against patients in much less detail than his offenses against his neighbors — and that you talk about getting rid of him in terms otherwise reserved for athletic victory. That does not inspire confidence in your objectivity.
You have good reason to resent his behavior at home and to try to get him kicked out of your building. And you have good reason to worry that his bad behavior spills over to his workplace. But before you write that anonymous letter, make sure your concerns in one realm are not coloring your judgment in another.