Alcohol at Work: What HR Should Know

Sunnyside uses a psychology-based approach to help you drink more mindfully, no matter what your goal is. You’ll get a 100% custom plan, then use daily texts to track your progress and help you stay on target. It’s good practice to consult with an employee to put the right adjustments in place, even if their problems are not classified as a disability. These changes could be as simple as minor alterations to an employee’s responsibilities, or allowing extra rest breaks. Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trialand you may cancel at any time during your free trial. Noticing these warning signs is one thing, but many employers struggle with where to go from there.

The Structure of a Habit

It’s likely that most employers will eventually encounter a worker with an alcohol problem, Hoyman said. “I suspect winter depression—or boredom—may be playing into it,” said Robin Shea, a partner with Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete in Winston-Salem, N.C. “It’s also possible that not everyone was able to immediately end the bad habits they picked up during the holiday season.” In recent days, the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) HR Knowledge Center received an unusual number of inquiries about how to handle workers inebriated on the job. Most folks know there are any number of reasons people might not be drinking in general or for one night, notes Wickre, and will accept that. Alcohol withdrawal can be very dangerous and painful, and in some cases fatal.

Appendix – The Disease of Alcoholism

This may involve taking the employee home or at least taking him or her to the health unit, the EAP office, or some other safe location. An employee who is physically resisting should be dealt with by agency security or local police. It would be appropriate to consider having a family member take the employee home. There could be some serious liability issues involved here so it is important to consult with Human Resources, Employee Relations, and the legal counsel’s office.

Things to Avoid

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business. Carol Warner has been writing about the latest trends in human resources, employment law, education law, safety and security, employee training, and emergency response plans for more than 15 years. She attended East Carolina University and earned a Bachelor’s degree from New York Institute of Technology. Outside of work, she spends free time listening to audiobooks and solving crossword puzzles. However, sometimes that compassion has to be firm in order to communicate that, while the agency is willing to help the employee get assistance, the employee is ultimately responsible for his or her own rehabilitation, recovery, and performance.

1. Outside of work, she spends free time listening to audiobooks and solving crossword puzzles.
2. These consequences can be costly for employers, especially if they occur because an employee is drinking at work.
3. It also showed that generally, men felt coerced into drinking more often than women, with men 20% more likely to be encouraged into drinking by their colleagues and 37% more by their bosses.
4. Ultimately, it’s essential to listen to your body and make choices that align with your overall health goals.

We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. Join our supportive sober community where each day becomes a step towards personal growth and lasting positive change. Shea said employers may want to consider extenuating circumstances if a worker is drunk on the job. Managers should know Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms, Timeline & Detox Treatment the telltale signs of on-the-job drinking, but they should never accuse a worker of being inebriated, Shea said.

Although there are no employment laws that cover the consumption of alcohol at work in general terms, there are more specific laws that cover certain industries, making drinking during work hours illegal. Any job that involves driving or operating machinery, or operating public transport, is covered by either the Transport and Works Act 1992, or the Road Traffic Act 1988. Employees must be consulted about health and safety, and any drug and alcohol policies that are in force. The fact is, alcoholism is a disease that can permeate every part of a person’s life, including their professional life. Contrary to what you might assume, the alcoholic does not actually pass out during these episodes. Instead, the alcoholic continues to function but is unable to remember what he or she has done or has been.

As many of us return to offices, or contemplate returning, we’re reassessing workplace norms and our needs as both employees and people. And an important part of that overhaul should be to leave booze-fueled socializing in the past—no more enticing bar carts parked near the cubicles and tipsy retreats on company time, but also no more colleague happy hours centered on beer and wine. The late, or deteriorative stage, is best identified as the point at which the damage to the body from the toxic effects of alcohol is evident, and the alcoholic is suffering from a host of ailments. An alcoholic in the final stages may be destitute, extremely ill, mentally confused, and drinking almost constantly. The alcoholic in this stage is suffering from many physical and psychological problems due to the damage to vital organs. His or her immunity to infections is lowered, and the employee’s mental condition is very unstable.