The management of drug and alcohol problems

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.