| |
|
|
| Employee Health & Wellness |
| I Have an Employee With a Drinking Problem. Now What? |
Mark has an employee with a not-so-subtle drinking problem. “Joe” regularly arrives at work looking and acting “hungover.” For months, Mark has “looked the other way,” but it’s obvious that the problem is getting worse, not better. What are Mark’s obligations to his employee?
It’s important, first of all, to realize that “off duty” drinking is almost certainly affecting employee performance and productivity. A recent study has shown that employees who arrive at work “hungover” are also more likely to feel sick at work, sleep on the job, or have conflicts with co-workers.
By ignoring an employee’s drinking problem, you are almost guaranteeing lower productivity and morale. Even worse, you may be compromising the safety of your entire workforce.
As an employer, you are in a unique position to help a worker who is struggling with alcohol addiction:
- Create a strict policy regarding drinking at work and enforce it vigorously. Problem drinking decreases in workplaces where it is discouraged.
- Set up a “health training session” with the aim of educating employees about problem drinking. Most drinkers respond to education about the health effects of their drinking.
- Check to see if your employees have access to an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) through one of your benefits providers, or through an employee labor union. An EAP can provide your employees with confidential health assessments, refer employees for diagnosis and treatments, collaborate with community resources personnel, and conduct follow-up treatment.
“Substance Use Disorders in the Workplace: A Guide to Recovery for Employees” is available free of charge by calling the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) at 1 (800) 729-6686 and asking for publication number PHD1081.
Source: “Alcohol Alert: Alcohol and the Workplace.”
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
No. 44 July 1999. 23 March 2005. http://www.medhelp.org/.
| |
|
|
 |
