Drinking and drug use: when does it become a work issue?

What your employees do in their own spare time is their business. Or is it?
If they are using alcohol and drugs, and it affects their ability to do their job safely, then it becomes a work issue too.

How big is the problem?
A cold beer at the end of a hard day’s work is pretty much part and parcel of the New Zealand way of life.
But we all know that not everybody stops after one or two cold ones.
A recent survey showed that around 50 per cent of New Zealand adults can be classified as binge drinkers. Recreational drug use (particularly of cannabis, party pills and amphetamines such as P) occurs throughout all sectors of society. What’s more, approximately 15 per cent of the population regularly use cannabis, and around 8 per cent have tried three or more illegal drugs in the past year.
This means there’s more than a passing chance that an employee of yours could turn up for work one day with their physical or mental abilities impaired, thanks to a night on the grog or some illegal substance.

What are the possible effects?
An employee who’s using drugs or drinking too much can create all sorts of problems in the workplace.
For example, an employee with an alcohol or drug problem is more likely to injure themselves and others at work. They’re also more likely to arrive late, take ‘sickies’, produce sub-standard work and get into disputes with other employees.
All of this can affect staff morale, especially if other employees are working harder to cover for their under-performing workmate. And it can cost you money through reduced productivity, not to mention the cost of dealing with workplace accidents, if they happen.
Fewer injuries means lower cost to your business, and this becomes more apparent with the introduction of experience rating applied to ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) work levies, from 1 April this year.

Whose problem is it?
You may have good reason to suspect an employee is hitting the bottle a little too often – or dabbling in something harder. But like many employers, you may also be unsure what to do about it. A question employers frequently ask is “Do I even have the right to address this issue?”
The short answer is yes, if your employee’s drug or alcohol use may cause impairment at work and affect the safety of others around them.
Under the Health and Safety in Employment (HSE) Act 1992, you have a legal responsibility to provide a safe workplace to all employees. This includes eliminating, isolating and minimising all significant hazards in the workplace.
The behaviour of an employee with a drug or alcohol problem can constitute a hazard under the HSE Act. So you are legally obliged to take appropriate action if you think an employee’s actions due to drug or alcohol use are an actual or potential cause of harm, either to the employee or others in the workplace.

What’s the best approach?
It’s a good idea for all employers to develop a policy on employee drug and alcohol use – even if you only employ a few workers.
This will help spell out where you stand on the issue, and will enable your employees to know exactly what’s expected of them.
Your policy doesn’t have to be complicated. It should simply specify things like:
What its overall aim is (for example, to create a safe, productive and enjoyable workplace for all employees)
Who it applies to, and whether there are any special conditions that apply to staff in particular roles
What substances are covered
How employees with alcohol or drug problems will be treated by the business (include clear disciplinary guidelines for managing workplace impairment)
How and where employees can get advice, help and support if they need it.
To get the most buy-in from your employees, it’s a good idea to consult with them and their representatives when you’re putting the policy together.

Prevention is better than cure
Apart from social reasons, there are many factors that can drive someone to use drugs or alcohol.
For instance, research shows that things like peer pressure from work colleagues, as well as the stress of hazardous work, tough deadlines, long or irregular hours and even workplace discrimination and bullying, can all play a part in influencing whether a person drinks excessively or uses drugs.
As an employer, you can play a key role in managing factors such as these, to reduce the pressures that can lead some people down the path of drug or alcohol misuse.
Your workplace drug and alcohol policy, therefore, is just one part of your workplace’s overall health and safety regime.

Need more information?
It’s easy to think that alcohol and drug use won’t impact on your workplace. But chances are, one day it may – so it pays to be prepared.
If you need more information about how to manage alcohol and drug use in your workplace, a free booklet is available from ACC, called Alcohol and Other Drugs in the Workplace – an Employer’s Guide. To order copies, please call 0800 844 657.
If you would like to get help for yourself or one of your staff, the Alcohol Drug Helpline provides free and confidential help, information, advice or referrals to your local alcohol and drug service. Call the Alcohol Drug Helpline; 0800 787 797 or visit alac.org.nz.

This article was supplied by ACC.
For further information on workplace health and safety:
Visit: www.acc.co.nz