Photo by Muhmed Alaa El-Bank on Unsplash
True, employees who drink too much are one of the two most-difficult types of employees to manage. Drug addicts are the most challenging. Both groups have diseases and they necessitate you being patient.
Caution: Alcoholics may qualify for ADA and FMLA protection. Why? Alcoholics have an addictive disorder.
Historically, at least one in 10 people are alcoholic. Despite the consequences, their alcoholism is progressive with distorted thinking and can become fatal.
A federal Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey:
- 17 percent of adults admit to binge drinking — four to five drinks at one sitting.
- 6 percent admit to heavy drinking — eight to 15 drinks weekly.
So for employers, the cost of alcohol abuse totals $249 billion per year. That translates to employers having to absorb 72 percent of the cost because of lost productivity, according the Centers for Disease “Control and Prevention.
ADA
Companies are required to “reasonably accommodate disabled workers” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
That’s for people who have debilitating conditions — mental or physical. This includes getting along with others, concentrating, remembering, breathing, sleeping and walking.
FMLA
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows workers with serious health conditions to take a break from work to get treatment. It sometimes means continued medical treatment or hospitalization.
Such employees may have addictive and behavioral issues
- Lots of drinking
- Unable to stop drinking
- Craving alcohol
- Too much time recovering
- Missing work
Suitable treatment
- Counseling
- Medication
- In-patient treatment
- Attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (and getting a good sponsor for advice)
Employer guidance
Don’t tolerate employee drinking at work or coming to work while intoxicated. So establish appropriate policies.
Such employees can be disciplined. That includes termination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission allows you to require alcoholic employees to meet employment standards. That includes punishment for insubordination, accidents at work and tardiness.
Biz Coach recommendations
Try to treat such employees how you’d want to be treated for having a disease, and follow ADA and FMLA guidelines. It’s the right thing to do.
In addition, try these other accommodations:
- Encourage alcoholic employees time for counseling and medical appointments
- Adjust goals, quotas and schedules
- Anticipate relapses and give second chances
- Excuse such employees who request they don’t attend events or meetings where alcohol is served
By the way, if you think about it, alcoholics are probably you’re most creative and resourceful employees.
Good luck.
From the Coach’s Corner, related information:
HR Strategies for Addiction Recovery Plans — If you haven’t already, your human resources program should include updated plans for employee addiction recovery. Alcoholism, for example, costs the average business $7,000 annually. Consider these other disturbing statistics.
Management: Coach Your Employees to Better Performance — In talent management, coaching, counseling and giving feedback is of utmost importance. But it’s a difficult challenge if you don’t have a coaching.
Legal HR Issues? Best Practices in Workplace Investigations — As an employer, one of your biggest nightmares can be issues involving your employees. There can be many reasons to conduct an investigation. “Action expresses priorities,” said Mohandas Gandhi. So you should act quickly.
How to Get Strong Results from Your HR Training Investment — Here’s how to obtain a strong ROI from human resources training including how self-awareness training grooms each person’s self esteem to grow 30 percent. This leads to greater morale and profits.
