Alcoholism at work

Hi Melanie,
Assuming there's no policy in place for such matters (many businesses went down an alcohol and substance misuse policy process introduction in recent times) I would advise the person's line manager invite them in to a private room, point out the concern, entirely without judgement, and ask for their response.

A straightforward, chat.

The alcohol that people can smell, can absolutely be alcohol and the person might be under the influence at work. If they open up about this, then I'd suggest the company works alongside them, sympathetically but reasonably, to support them, explaining that it will never be acceptable to present for work under the influence irrespective of what might be driving that person to this position. At the same time, look to see what support you can offer them if they do have an alcohol issue. Occupational Health assistance and employee assistance programmes can include for this usually.

Additionally, the alcohol could have been from the evening before, and not consumed in large quantities either, but taking longer than most people to metabolise. I recall a case where an employee presented themselves for work smelling of alcohol and they openly admitted to having consumed 2 glasses of wine the evening before, which I suppose would not be over-indulgent by most people's consumption. This should have metabolised out of their system in time for work the next day, but it hadn't, hence the smell. They subsequently visited the GP, had tests and it was discovered they had liver/kidney issues which meant they were metabolising the alcohol at a much slower rate than most people.

Lastly, it might not be alcohol at all. It could be other things that have the same smell. Some medicines and health conditions can have this affect I believe.

I guess the key is not to jump to any conclusions, act swiftly, ask the employee about the matter privately, and be supportive yet reasonably in assisting them if they need it.

Hope this helps.
Mark

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your swift reply. So far we have been managing the situation in a supportive way. We've previously spoken to the individual who has indicated that a type of herbal medication causes the smell of alcohol. They’ve been open and cooperative on every occasion when concerns have been highlighted as well as offering to undergo alcohol/ drug testing.
We don't have a specific policy in place; however the following exert is from the employee handbook.

‘You are expressly forbidden to consume alcohol or use drugs while on Company premises The effects of alcohol and drugs can be numerous:-(these are examples only and not an exhaustive list)
a absenteeism (e.g. unauthorised absence, lateness, excessive levels of sickness, etc.)
b higher accident levels (e.g. at work, elsewhere, driving to and from work)
c work performance (e.g. difficulty in concentrating, tasks taking more time, making mistakes, etc.).
If your performance or attendance at work is affected as a result of alcohol or drugs, or we believe you have been involved in any drug related action/offence, you may be subject to disciplinary action and, dependant on the circumstances this may lead to your dismissal.’

There have been no concerns raised in regards to the above; therefore it’s been difficult to take any further action. Our work environment involves the care of vulnerable adults; therefore there is a heightened degree of concern from colleagues.

"so far we have been managing the situation in a supportive way. We've previously spoken to the individual who has indicated that a type of herbal medication causes the smell of alcohol. They’ve been open and cooperative on every occasion when concerns have been highlighted as well as offering to undergo alcohol/ drug testing."

I missed this in my initial reply.

Call me a cynic if you wish, but what 'herbal medication' causes the smell of alcohol??

If you have no suspicion this person is under the influence then why has the subject of drug/alcohol testing come up?

Why do you say this has been managed in a supportive way if you have no suspicions that it is any thing else other than herbal medicine?

If this was me, or let us suppose a responsible company which employed drivers, I think such a  company would be insisting on a drug test.

I have considered an OH referral as a possibility, there role involves manual handling and customer fronting but driving is not a part of their job.
The last time the issue was raised was several months ago where colleagues reported that they could smell alcohol and identified erratic behaviour. This was dealt with through an investigation which is where testing came up. No instigated by the investigator but offered by the individual in question. However, the investigation identified other issues surrounding employee conflict which suggested t hat reports from colleagues weren’t unbiased. No further action was deemed necessary at the time. This is the first incident since then that has been raised. However, on this occasion there have been no reports of erratic behaviour or signs that the individual is indeed drunk i.e. no slurring of speech etc.... however the smell of alcohol has been reported. If they were indeed drunk on the premises or openly consumed alcohol then this would be managed through disciplinary in-line with policies and procedures. However, given that alcohol has been reportedly smelt but no other indicators would lead to a reasonable assumption of drunkenness then disciplinary doesn’t seem appropriate in the given circumstance.

I have considered an OH referral as a possibility, there role involves manual handling and customer fronting but driving is not a part of their job.
The last time the issue was raised was several months ago where colleagues reported that they could smell alcohol and identified erratic behaviour. This was dealt with through an investigation which is where testing came up. No instigated by the investigator but offered by the individual in question. However, the investigation identified other issues surrounding employee conflict which suggested t hat reports from colleagues weren’t unbiased. No further action was deemed necessary at the time. This is the first incident since then that has been raised. However, on this occasion there have been no reports of erratic behaviour or signs that the individual is indeed drunk i.e. no slurring of speech etc.... however the smell of alcohol has been reported. If they were indeed drunk on the premises or openly consumed alcohol then this would be managed through disciplinary in-line with policies and procedures. However, given that alcohol has been reportedly smelt but no other indicators would lead to a reasonable assumption of drunkenness then disciplinary doesn’t seem appropriate in the given circumstance.

Hi Melanie
But if the role involves interaction with customers, it's not acceptable that the employee doing this habitually smells strongly of alcohol, *even if* there is no evidence at all of intoxication. Disciplinary or no disciplinary is surely a rather different and separate matter, to be determined by proper investigation.