Fired from job on first week because employer thought I was taking drugs and drinking at work

Are you on any medication? I am on daily tablets and sometimes they make me a little drowsey which makes some people think I'm a bit under the weather due to a big night out on the booze.

If you were indeed not taking either any drink or drugs that affected you during work time, I’d be very concerned why they thought you were as this bears in your reputation.

Taking you at your word, I advise a prompt health check, as, for example, somebody with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes can have ketones on their breath, which can smell very like alcohol, and what’s more a person so affected can appear drunk. I have heard this happen before, believe me. I would prioritise your health if you are appearing to be impaired and you know you have taken nothing any time close to work, secondarily if you are discovered to have any issue at all I would come back to the company to clear that aspect up for the sake of your reputation and mental well-being.

Is there a camera in the staff room. Were you alone. Chances are just one person reported you.

It "Prescription Medication" - avoid using the word "drugs" as it has negative connotation in Ireland.

The medication you are on can cause dizziness - it probably the main side affect. You probably don't notice it as you are fully accustomed to the affect. Similarly people close to you are unlikely to notice it as it has been "normalised". However a new group of people who have a different ideal of what is the "norm" with an employee will notice even a small amount of dizziness.

An example I see is where I employ a person with mild down's syndrome. He has worked with us for over 5 years. He is simply a member of the team, has his tasks and is simply seen as a staff member. We don't see the disability because its been normalised. But when we take on new staff, they see it quite expressively for a few weeks until they get used to it and it fades into normality.

So forget about that job, maybe do let the employer know that you are on long term medication and other staff may have noticed side affects that you no longer see. Then in the next job, after they confirm the position, let them know that you are on long term medication and it can cause a slight dizziness / look of sedation for a short period after you take it.

Did you disclose this during a job interview? If not, that would have been very advisable. Or at the least, after being offered the job and before starting. Just a note to say etc….

First up. What the manager said to the OP cannot be defamation.What the other workers said could possibly be, but not the manager (based off the information provided in the OP).

Secondly, even if it were, there would be no onus on the OP to prove that it was not true. Truth can be a defence to a defamation action, but the onus would be on the manager to prove the truth of the statement. It would not be on the OP to disprove it.

Unless they are operating heavy machinery or something else that they should not be doing anyway, then I don't see why they should need to disclose personal info like that. However when this misunderstanding occurred it might have been best to.

If you need the job then telling them that it was prescription medication and asking them to reconsider might be worthwhile. If you can do without the job then informing them that it was prescription medication is probably a good idea anyway in order to protect your reputation.

I wouldn't get into anything about wrongful dismissal or defamation. It just sounds like a misunderstanding, not like they are unfair. People taking valium on prescription can slur their speech and be disinhibited, which could reasonably be mistaken for drunkenness.