07th August 2009 Dealing with alcohol and drug abuse
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Establishing policies on alcohol and drugs is essential for any sizeable workforce. Most companies would enforce an absolute ban on drugs, other than those prescribed for a medical condition, but alcohol consumption is not always so easy to rule out. For some workers whose jobs require them to drive or operate machinery, it is essential that they have no trace of alcohol in their system during working hours. In some industries, however, socialising with clients is part of the established norm, and moderate drinking under these circumstances is perfectly acceptable; as is moderate drinking with colleagues at lunchtime or after work. Often this is a matter of company culture and bounds are not generally overstepped.
For a small number of people, however, alcohol consumption will become a problem, and difficult to control. There are some tell tale signs that this may be the case. Workers with an alcohol addiction may:-
- have a higher incidence of sickness absence, particularly on Mondays and Fridays
- frequently appear hung over, particularly on Mondays and Fridays
- develop a lateness record
- become noticeably less productive or focused on tasks
- pay less attention to personal hygiene and grooming
- have alcohol on their breath first thing in the morning
- receive more complaints from colleagues or customers
The signs of drug abuse can be more difficult to spot – there’s no smell to be detected on the user’s breath, for example. However, many are similar, as this too can lead to:-
- increased sickness absence
- mood swings
- erratic behaviour
- poor time-keeping
- a change in attitude towards colleagues
- reduced productivity
Just one of these indicators is not enough on which to base a firm conclusion; most could, individually, be attributable to a number of other causes, such as stress, depression, or even new medication for certain conditions. In fact if you do have an employee with a condition such as depression, and they need to change medication, it would be advisable to take advice on whether they need to be absent for a short period. Some medication can make patients feel far worse initially, before they start to feel better.
With any employee who exhibits many of these symptoms, you should monitor the situation and if a more worrying, longer term pattern becomes apparent, then it should be tackled.
Make sure that employees are aware of your organisation’s policy on alcohol consumption and drug abuse. Then make sure that your primary aim is to see this as a health problem; and to help any employees with an addiction to drugs or alcohol to recover. It is unlikely that you will be able to tackle this in-house, so it is essential to at least point the employee in the direction of expert professional help. If you have invested years of training into this employee, it’s in your interests to see them back on top form.
You may need to check out your legal responsibilities in these circumstances, as you have a duty of care as an employer, both to the worker with the problem and their colleagues.
Some useful sources of help can be found here:
www.hse.gov.uk/alcoholdrugs/
www.businesslink.gov.uk
www.drinkaware.co.uk
http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drug-strategy/drugs-in-workplace/national-workplace-initiative
