Hints and Tips

Dealing with an employee with a possible alcohol problem
Employees with a drink problem have the same rights to confidentiality and support as they would if they had any other medical or psychological condition.

Disciplinary action should be a last resort. A court may find a dismissal unfair if an employer has made no attempt to help an employee whose work problems are related to drinking alcohol. It’s also worth remembering that the cost of recruiting and training a replacement may be greater than the cost of allowing someone time off to obtain expert help. Many people with an alcohol problem are able, in time, to regain full control over their drinking and return to their previous work performance.

It may be very difficult for people to admit to themselves or others that their drinking is out of control. They need to know that you will treat their drinking problem as a health problem rather than an immediate cause for dismissal or disciplinary action.

If employees’ drinking is a matter of concern, they should be encouraged to seek help from their GP or a specialist alcohol agency.

Consulting others
In deciding what to do, you will almost certainly need to consult others. In larger organisations, good practice would be to set up a working party led by a senior manager to look at the issue of alcohol as it affects the business, also involving the occupational health practitioner where available. This may not be feasible in smaller businesses, but you will find it useful to talk to:

• other managers

• supervisors

• staff representatives/trade union representatives

• employees.

Gaining the support of your workforce for any change in company rules will be much easier if staff feel that they have been consulted beforehand.

You may be surprised by the reactions of your staff. The culture surrounding drinking during working hours has changed dramatically over the past decade.

The 1994 Health Education Authority survey found that 63% of workers and 69% of manual workers supported a total ban on drinking during working hours. The same survey found that 66% of workers thought that senior employees should be subject to exactly the same controls on alcohol as the rest of the workforce while 25% believed senior employees should set an example and be subject to tighter controls.

If you want to find out what other businesses in your area have done, you could try getting in touch with your local business forum or health promotion unit. You might also find it helpful to talk to your local alcohol advisory service about the best way to deal with any employees who are finding it difficult to control their drinking. Establishing a link now could make things easier if you have a problem to deal with in the future.

Taking action
In taking action, you need to ensure that you have the support of other managers and gain the support of your employees. The personal involvement of the boss will also make a huge difference when it comes to introducing any changes. The most important questions are:

• What needs to be done?

• Who needs to do it?

You also need to think about communication and training. How will current staff and any recruited in the future know the company’s rules about drinking? Does anyone need more information or training?

Supervisors and other managers need to be clear about company rules and what to do if they suspect employees’ drinking is affecting their work. They also need to be aware of the implications of not tackling possible alcohol misuse, especially where safety is an issue. Your local alcohol advisory service may be able to help train managers to recognise if someone has an alcohol problem and the best way to handle the situation. The service may charge for training.

Many larger organisations have a policy that describes their position on employees’ drinking. A written alcohol policy has many advantages, for example leaving less room for misunderstanding than an informal ‘understanding’.

Providing information
You may find that by making general information about alcohol and health available to your staff, you are encouraging sensible drinking outside working hours.

A model workplace alcohol policy would cover the following areas.

• Why have a policy?
• Who does the policy apply to? (Note: best practice would be for the policy to apply equally to all grades of staff and types of work.)
• Who is responsible for implementing the policy? (Note: all managers and supervisors will be responsible in some way but it will be more effective if a senior employee is named as having overall responsibility.)
• How does the company expect employees to behave to ensure that their alcohol consumption does not have a detrimental effect on their work?
• Do the rules apply in all situations or are there exceptions?
• A statement assuring employees that any alcohol problem will be treated in strict confidence.
• A description of the support available to employees who have problems because of their drinking.
• A commitment to providing employees with general information about the effects of drinking alcohol on health and safety.
• The circumstances in which disciplinary action will be taken.