{"id":783,"date":"2020-05-05T06:35:54","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T04:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arachne.co.za\/absolutehr.co.za\/?p=783"},"modified":"2020-12-08T16:19:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T14:19:55","slug":"alcohol-abuse-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arachne.co.za\/absolutehr.co.za\/alcohol-abuse-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcohol Abuse at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have employees that experience alcohol abuse at work? Many people like to have a drink when they finish work. Sometimes they overdo it and come to work still under the influence<\/em> from the night before. Even worse, some employees have a \u2018drink\u2019 before work, or sneak out at lunch time or at a break to have a \u2018quicky\u2019\u2026to help them get through the day!<\/p>\r\n

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When Employees Abuse Alcohol at Work<\/h3>\r\n

What happens when a staff member is under the influence of alcohol at work? When they have that unmistakable whiff of alcohol on their breath?<\/p>\r\n

Or when it\u2019s clearly visible that an employee\u2019s been drinking\u2026they\u2019re either overly loud or aggressive or it looks like he\/she\u2019s been on the booze all night.<\/p>\r\n

Being under the influence of alcohol at work, in most companies is a serious offence. How serious this is however, depends on the company\u2019s policy toward alcohol abuse and the nature of the person\u2019s job. More about that at another time.<\/p>\r\n

In most cases you would no doubt discipline the employee and maybe even dismiss the person.<\/p>\r\n

\"lady<\/p>\r\n

Employee Admits to the Problem<\/h3>\r\n

However, if during an investigation the employee admits to having a drinking problem, then you need to treat this very differently. Discipline does not immediately apply. According to the law, you need to treat this as a disease. The employer needs to help the employee within reason of course, with treatment for the ‘illness’.<\/p>\r\n

The employer should try to get the employee to agree to get referred for treatment. You cannot force this to happen however, it’s up to the employee to agree. You can get an idea of what help is available HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

If the employee has received help and treatment for the disease and after that comes to work under the influence of alcohol, you can in fact dismiss him or her.\u00a0 But only once it\u2019s considered that everything has been done by the company to assist the employee without any success. Follow the correct disciplinary process to do this.<\/p>\r\n

Example of an Employee with an Alcohol Abuse Problem<\/h3>\r\n

I recently helped a client who had an employee (a salesperson) who often came to work under the influence. When he was sober he did a very fine job, which is why management tolerated his drinking habit.<\/p>\r\n

However things got a bit too far when some of their customers started to complain. They said that he often stank of alcohol and they didn\u2019t want him visiting their offices.<\/p>\r\n

When we confronted him about his alcohol abuse, the employee stated categorically that he did not<\/u><\/strong> have a drinking problem.<\/p>\r\n

We told him that if that was the case, the next time he was found to be under the influence of alcohol during working hours then he would face disciplinary action.<\/p>\r\n

Needless to say he didn\u2019t last much longer at the company.<\/p>\r\n

Had he stated, however that he did have a drinking problem, we would have taken a totally different route.<\/p>\r\n

We would have had to offer him assistance (e.g. leave, annual or unpaid) so that he could get treatment. And we would have had to give him a chance to overcome his problem.<\/p>\r\n

This employee, the salesperson, may even have stayed on to become a valuable employee.<\/p>\r\n

How much assistance an employee with a drinking problem needs varies from person to person. But it needs to be shown that the company tried.<\/p>\r\n

Don’t Ignore It<\/h3>\r\n

Many companies have employees with similar problems. They\u2019re not sure how to address the issue, so they pretend it doesn\u2019t exist. Or they just overlook it.<\/p>\r\n

Unfortunately left unattended, this problem grows. And it sets a precedent for other staff members. That\u2019s when it becomes dangerous.<\/p>\r\n

How to Address the Problem<\/h3>\r\n

Some advice:<\/p>\r\n