subject: Attendance Management: Drug And Alcohol Abuse In The Workplace [print this page] Attendance management is an important aspect of any business because as an employer you want to make sure that you are getting the most out of your staff. It is not beneficial to you or your company in any way to have someone working for you who is constantly taking sick leave. Not only is it likely that you have to pay them for not being there, but it also slows down work productivity as the tasks either get delayed, forgotten about or passed on to someone else.
There are many different factors that can result in people taking time off work which is why attendance management is vital so you can monitor these things. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol abuse is a fairly common reason for people missing days off work; it's difficult to prove and can also be a very sensitive subject to approach.
If you are dealing with a case of attendance management and suspect that someone has a problem, there are various different signs you can look out for. Sometimes it's quite obvious, such as an increased amount of time being taken off especially on a Monday or Friday, being hung - over at work or having the smell of alcohol on their breath.
However, other symptoms such as being late, becoming less productive and suffering from a lack of concentration, could be a result of alcohol abuse or they may just be having personal problems that they are trying to get through.
Drug abuse could be even harder to detect because you won't be able to smell it on the user's breath. The symptoms to look out for are similar to those of alcohol abuse but you may also find them displaying more erratic behaviour and bad mood swings.
If you find yourself trying to deal with a situation like this when monitoring attendance management, there are certain things you can do in order to try and get to the bottom of it. Monitor the situation carefully so you can check for any behavioural patterns, check for obvious signs or you could try talking to other colleagues who may know them on a personal level. Whilst they're unlikely to want to get their friend in trouble, they are going to understand that helping them to get help now is going to be beneficial for them in the long term.
Sometimes it's the simple things that can actually be more effective when it comes to dealing with a situation like this. If you hold a company meeting informing people of your drink and drugs policy and stress that there will be zero tolerance, it might be enough to scare the person into not doing it anymore.
Whatever the outcome, alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace is always going to be a very tricky situation to deal with. If you feel you are out of your depths then you can always ask a company that specialises in attendance management for some help and advice on how to deal with the situation.
