Alcohol abuse in the workplace presents a danger to coworkers and clients. Employers should monitor employee performance and behavior for signs of alcohol abuse, which include the smell of alcohol, staggering, mood and behavior changes, tremors, sleeping on duty, careless work and frequent tardiness. Note that these signs alone do not mean the employee is an alcoholic. Leave the diagnosis of alcoholism to professionals. If the employee refuses help, work with trained professionals, preferably an on-site employee counseling program.
Step 1
Contact the staff of an employee assistance program if your workplace offers it. A typical program offers counseling and advice for drug, alcohol, mental health and other personal problems. If your workplace does not have this service, contact the human resources or employee relations department.
Step 2
Notify the employee privately that you have observed performance problems. Explain the consequences should the employee continue in the same manner. If possible, refer the employee for further counseling to an employee counseling department.
Step 3
Grant the employee leave for treatment, preferably with pay. This allows the employee to focus on dealing with the alcoholism rather than financial issues.
Step 4
Set up a post-treatment meeting with the employee. Include any workplace staff involved in counseling the employee with this problem. Discuss how the treatment went, what type of schedule the employee can handle, and what supervision the employee requires relating to the alcohol problem.
Step 5
Design a work schedule that is flexible enough to allow the patient to attend follow-up care, such as group meetings and therapy.
Tips and Warnings
- Restrict intoxicated employees from driving company vehicles, operating heavy machinery, dealing with patients or participating in any other safety-sensitive duty.
- Do not enable an employee's alcoholism. Avoid lending money, covering up for mistakes, reducing the work load or in any way making it easy for the employee to defer treatment.
