The management of drug and alcohol problems

[ch 3: page 29]

PCS says that policies should support, not discipline, and the HSE is clear that employers should, as far as possible, treat drug misuse as a health issue rather than an immediate cause for dismissal or disciplinary action. Acas advice to managers dealing with an employee with alcohol or drug problems is as follows:

• keep accurate, confidential records of instances of poor performance or other problems;

• interview the worker in private;

• concentrate on the instances of poor performance that have been identified;

• ask for the worker’s reasons for poor performance and question whether it could be due to a “health” problem, without specifically mentioning alcohol or drugs in the first instance;

• if appropriate discuss the organisation’s alcohol and drugs policy and the help available inside or outside the organisation;

• agree future action; and

• arrange regular meetings to monitor progress and discuss any further problems if they arise.