A staggering one in eight Americans is currently suffering from an alcohol abuse problem, with over $200 billion a year being lost in economic productivity as a result.
This means that millions of employers across the country will have to deal with intoxicated employees at some point. An employee who is drinking at work in an alcoholic employee and should, therefore, be treated as a person who needs help.
Dealing with an alcoholic employee is a legal, emotional, and professional minefield that must be navigated carefully. Read on to find out what your HR department can do about it.
Identify If They Are Actually Drinking at Work
The first thing you need to do is to be as sure as possible that your employee is drinking on the job. Look out for behavior that is unusual and commonly associated with alcoholism.
This may include bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, secretive behavior, poor productivity, and smelling of alcohol. Once you are confident that there is a problem, then you can act.
Record Their Behavior
For legal purposes and for the purpose of helping your employee, start documenting their behavior. Note how they behave when drinking with coworkers – are they binge drinking and acting recklessly?
Document any and all lapses in productivity. Make sure to record how often they are late and how many times they have turned up visibly drunk at work. This will all be helpful later down the line.
Share your records with the HR department, but keep things as discreet as possible.
Arrange a Meeting
Once you’ve compiled a case, it’s time to call the employee in for a meeting. Make sure that the meeting only involves you and perhaps one other person, such as an HR professional. Any more than that – and the meeting will begin to feel like an attack.
Use your facts. Explain why you think your employee has a problem. Avoid using the word “alcoholic” or “addict” as there is a lot of stigmas attached to these words.
Explain the kind of help available to them, such as the Stop Drinking Expert programme or any workplace initiatives you might already have in place.
Explain why consuming alcohol in the workplace is dangerous and unprofessional. Give them a chance to explain their actions, and remember to be sympathetic, especially if they’re going through a bereavement, which is a common cause of workplace drinking.
and have your employee sign off and anything discussed and any action points you agree on.
Discuss Their Rights and Act Accordingly
You’ll need to assess whether they can continue working there. Alcoholic employee rights dictate that your employee may have a medical disease.
This means options should be looked at to help the employee recover before you can consider termination.
If after the meeting they continue showing up drunk or present a threat to themselves or others, you can . Focus first on getting them the help they need.
If they do show up visibly intoxicated again, you are entitled to have them escorted from the premises either by a family member or law enforcement agent.
Learn More
To learn more about how to approach drinking at work, or any other difficult HR topics, make sure to explore our for all the legal guidance you’ll need.
