As we enter Alcohol Awareness Month, a few thoughts come to mind. In particular, how leaders can identify workers with alcohol problems (it’s not always easy). Plus, how they can juggle the competing interests of the company they work for with the addicted employees they’re duty-bound to support.
Let’s look at this sensitive subject for business managers and team leaders.
Counting the cost of alcohol abuse
In the United States, one in 13 adults either abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. So, the chances that one or more of your employees have a serious problem with alcohol are pretty high indeed.
And the impact on your business is huge.
Workers with alcohol problems are around three times more likely to have injury-related absences, while around a tenth of victims of workplace fatalities have been drinking beforehand. The cost of absences, lost productivity, injuries and accidents to American employers as a result of employing people with alcohol problems is eye-watering: it’s estimated to be between $33 billion and $68 billion every year.
If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself that none of your staff has a problem with alcohol, you may have fallen into the trap of denial.
Just because you don’t smell whisky on their breath or see them downing a few cans of beer on their break, it doesn’t mean everything is fine.
Do you have high-functioning alcoholics in the workplace?
According to Sarah Allen Benton, licensed mental health counselor at Emmanuel College in Boston and author of “Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic”, as many as half of all alcoholics are high-functioning types. They can hold down a job—even a demanding job—for years until and unless an alcohol-related crisis occurs.
Benton explains that many high-functioning alcoholics go unidentified at work because they don’t display the usual signs of alcohol abuse. What’s more, many co-workers have the false impression that people struggling with alcohol use couldn’t possibly hold down a decent job.
Not true.
High-functioning alcoholics are skilled at leading double lives, and often have jobs or positions that don’t involve close supervision. Think doctors, journalists, professors, lawyers and CEOs.
That doesn’t mean that high-functioning alcoholics have no impact on your business or team, however. They may have the outward appearance of ‘holding it all together’, but underneath they’ll be battling to get through the day. Their health will eventually suffer and, sooner or later, they’ll reach a tipping point (either physical or emotional), which could have serious ramifications not just for themselves and their family but also for your organization.
Despite their ability to deceive their colleagues, you can see signs of a functioning alcoholic if you look carefully enough. Things to look out for in your team include:
- Showing changes in attitude or mood
- Demonstrating a loss of focus or memory
- Being paranoid or over-anxious
- Missing deadlines
- Calling in sick or skipping meetings and events more and more often
- Telling colleagues that they use alcohol to relieve stress after work
- Behaving uncharacteristically if they drink at a work event
5 steps to handling an employee with alcohol problems
So, what do you do if you suspect that one of your valued team members does have a problem with alcohol? It’s a conundrum for any leader. After all, you have competing responsibilities. It’s imperative you address safety concerns and work productivity. At the same time, you have a duty of care for your employee (plus it’s not as simple as telling someone to stop drinking).
A manager’s best course of action involves five steps:
- Read up on your company policy on drug and alcohol use: Many organizations are required for legal or insurance reasons to have written policies. Regardless, it’s good practice to have a policy in place. All policies should, at a minimum, set out federal laws and regulations, the company’s drug-free workplace policy statement, a definition of substance use, and reporting obligations.
- Consult your human resources manager: Employee assistance professionals are trained to help managers navigate this complex issue. They can guide you on policy and regulatory requirements and advise you on how to support a team member through this struggle. It is possible to make reasonable accommodations for employees with addictions without having to accept disruptive or unsafe behavior in the workplace.
- Report the suspected alcohol abuse (after taking steps 1 and 2): This is without a doubt the most difficult step, especially if it concerns a team member you like or work closely with. Remember, your role carries a responsibility to your company, your team, as well as the team member concerned. If you neglect addressing the issue, you’re not helping the person who is struggling with addiction. You just may be the one person that creates the conditions for that person to get help. You could save a life.
- Talk to the individual privately: This is a judgement call. It depends largely on your relationship with the individual, their likely response, and your experience in dealing with such matters. You may decide to talk one on one or enlist a partner such as your HR Business Partner to sit in with you. If your company has an Employee Assistance Program, strongly suggest you include them as a consulting partner. They are your experts on this issue. In addition, the American Addiction Centers has some very good advice on this step.
- Learn more about alcohol abuse and addiction: The more you know about this topic, the better you can spot the signs of people struggling with this disease and the more confident you’ll be to respond appropriately. There are some great national and local organizations that have very informative websites and literature. So, in this month of Alcohol Awareness, why not spend half an hour to educate yourself a little? Start by checking out American Addiction Centers and Alcohol.org.
My main encouragement is to bring in a team when you must walk this road. Each situation is unique. The good news is that, when handled well, you stand the best chance of helping someone return to their best self. And that, in turn, means a happy, safe and productive team.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.