Contact advice@labourguide.co.za for parts 1-5

Alcoholism and the workplace. (Part 6)

It is repeated that it is managements responsibility to prevent alcohol abuse in the workplace.

Therefore management are responsible for compiling the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Policy and management are responsible to ensure that employees comply.

By “management” we refer to every person in a supervisory position who has staff reporting to him.

The ADA Policy must not be so strict as to make problem employees fearful of coming forward – such a policy will only serve to drive the problem drinkers underground – and this compounds the problem because besides being a problem drinker, the employee becomes a secret drinker as well.

Each company must have a policy tailor-made to suit its own requirements – and it is quite useless for top management to simply instruct an H.R. clerk to “draw up some sort of rules to handle the drinkers in this place.”

If the employer wishes to address the problem effectively, then the formulation of the ADA Policy is important and requires input from all levels of management, and a fair amount of policy content will be decided upon from the results of past experience in dealing with the problem.

Employers can of course, have a very simple policy – the “rule by fear” type of policy, which states, very simply, that alcohol or drug problems will not be tolerated and will result in dismissal.

But dismissing people can be (in fact, it is ) a very expensive business,  in terms of money spent on training the employee - there is always a large investment in all employees in terms of time and money – then the employee is dismissed, and more time and money invested in a new employee. The cost of advertising the vacancy, time spent in interviewing, administration costs, probably paying a higher salary than the dismissed employee was paid, all come to mind and add up at the end of the day.

So it is not always a good idea to simply state “drink or drugs = dismissal.”

Equally obviously, an employer does not offer or arrange counseling, re-habilitation, financial assistance , sympathy etc on an on-going basis, time and time again, into eternity. That is not the idea of putting in place the ADA Policy.

The policy (in terms of assistance, counseling, re-habilitation, etc ) will only be applied to those employees who have (or who demonstrate that they have) a genuine desire to be helped, and where it can be reasonably concluded that the re-habilitation program will result in success for this employee.

In other words, the employer is not expected to “flog a dead horse.” If an employee undergoes the re-habilitation program as stated in the ADA Policy, and later reverts to the old habits, then the end of the road has been reached. The employer does not offer the program again – rather, procedures are then followed to secure the fair dismissal of the employee.

Remember , the employer is not in the business of re-habilitating alcoholics, problem drinkers and drug addicts. The employer is only trying to assist those in his employ who have such problems, to the ultimate benefit of both parties.

It is a fact that most persons with such problems will usually, when confronted,  vehemently deny that it is a problem, they will be emphatic that they do not need assistance, and that they can stop any time they wish to.

In such cases, the employer cannot force the employee to undergo re-habilitation – but he can demand that, since the employee has affirmed that it is no problem and that he/she can stop the drinking (or drugging) immediately, the employee must then stop the habit immediately or undergo the re-habilitation program, or face dismissal.

Rather than face dismissal, the employee will then (reluctantly) agree to the re-habilitation, but it has been found that persons who undergo the re-habilitation with anything less that an admission that they need help, and with anything less that full and genuine commitment to the program, very seldom succeed in the program.

Within a very short time of completing the program, they revert to the old habits – again affirming that “its really no problem – I can stop any time I like. I was in re-hab for 6 weeks and never touched a drop. That proves that I can take it or leave it – it really is no problem.”

The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Policy must be designed to help those admit that they have a problem and who wish to be helped.

The South African Labour Guide is a private company and has no association with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), you may find the CCMA on www.ccma.org.za