US EditionAsking Eric: My boss is a drunk. How do I stop taking responsibility for his actions, set some boundaries?
An employee managing a boss with a severe drinking problem struggles with enabling behaviors and seeks advice on setting professional boundaries to maintain job performance.
- A concerned employee is struggling with a supervisor described as a "functioning alcoholic" who manages to hold down a job despite a severe drinking problem.
- The worker describes their primary job duty as making the supervisor appear competent, creating a cycle where they increasingly feel complicit in enabling the boss's habit.
- Columnist Eric Thomas advises establishing internal boundaries rather than fixing the boss's life, clarifying that doing one's job, even when addressing errors, does not constitute enabling.
- Thomas recommends addressing the situation with management rather than direct confrontation, since the latter likely results in temporary behavioral changes followed by reversion to drinking.
- Ultimately, the Lost Office Worker must accept the workplace hierarchy reality while prioritizing their own professional responsibilities, as they lack the power to force the boss to confront addiction.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Asking Eric: Am I enabling my alcoholic boss by covering for him all the time?
Dear Eric: My boss is what could be called a “functioning alcoholic,” which in this case means that, in spite of having a severe drinking problem, he manages to hold down a job, even while actively drunk.Over the years, I have been phasing out the act of “looking the other way.” My refusal to accept his drinking has led him to cast his wrath upon me on occasion. He thinks that I am trying to take him down. What I want is for him and for everyone…
Asking Eric: My job is to make boss look better; how can I when he sabotages himself with alcohol?
Dear Eric: My boss is what could be called a “functioning alcoholic,” which in this case means that, in spite of having a severe drinking problem, he manages to hold down a job, even while actively drunk.
Helena Independent Record
Boss an alcoholic, but coworkers won't face reality
Dear Eric: My boss is what could be called a "functioning alcoholic," which in this case means that, in spite of having a severe drinking problem, he manages to hold down a job, even while actively drunk.
Asking Eric: Should I report my boss for his drinking habits?
Dear Eric: My boss is what could be called a “functioning alcoholic,” which in this case means that, in spite of having a severe drinking problem, he manages to hold down a job, even while actively drunk.
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