Ask HR: At what point am I allowed to sack an employee struggling with alcoholism?
What you need to know:
- Depending on the severity of the problem, you may need to engage professionals to assist before pouncing on disciplinary action.
- The solution is often predicated upon the concerned individual’s acknowledgement that he or she has a problem and the willingness to receive help.
I am a HR Officer for a local company and I have a case of a colleague who is abusing alcohol. What do I need to pay attention to as I try to help both the colleague and the organisation? When should one apply discipline in such a situation?
Alcohol abuse often has poor outcomes for both individuals and organisations. Some organisations have reported that alcohol abuse among staff has grown worse during the past two years, largely attributed to employee attempts to numb the disorientation and pain associated with the pandemic. There is neither a standard solution for all cases of alcohol abuse at work nor are there uniform workplace policies relating thereto.
How has the case you refer to come about? Is it an isolated incident of the said colleague ingesting more than a fair share of drink during a company event or a recurrent matter? Has the colleague’s performance or focus dipped? Does the said colleague acknowledge that he or she has a problem? Does he or she cobble lame excuses for frequent absence from duty? Does the said colleague come to the office visibly drunk or reeking of alcohol? Cases of alcohol abuse are not always obvious to identify, owing to concealment efforts on the part of those concerned.
Have you spoken to your colleague to understand what is going on in his or her life? Has the line manager had conversations with the said colleague about the issue? Do you have a workplace policy concerning the use of alcohol? If so, have you sensitised line managers and staff concerning such policy? How have you dealt with previous incidents of alcohol abuse? Alcohol abuse is usually a symptom of underlying issues, which require to be identified and dealt with.
Depending on the severity of the problem, you may need to engage professionals to assist before pouncing on disciplinary action. The solution is often predicated upon the concerned individual’s acknowledgement that he or she has a problem and the willingness to receive help. If this is the situation with your colleague, you have a good starting point.
HR Practitioner
[email protected]
