Substance misuse in the workplace
Substance misuse, abuse and addiction, we all have our vices but what if those vices are taking over someones life and having a detrimental impact on, not only themselves, but your team and business? What if the line is being crossed? What do you do?
It’s a tricky one, what do you do if you notice a team member drinking too much, taking too many ‘smoko’s’, speaking about ‘getting lit’ on the weekend’s, then you hear it is almost every night? You may notice a change in behaviour; irritated, agitated, angry, emotional, apathetic. The person may begin to call in sick, not turn up for shifts, become vague and make mistakes. When does it become your problem? Are you prying in to people’s private live’s? Why is it my responsibility as the employer? I shouldn’t need to get involved…I hear these comments from fellow leaders and employers. It’s one of the trickiest situations and conversations to have. If it is impacting your team and operations, unfortunately you will need to step in and do something about it.
The first thing to do is ask yourself - do I have a relationship of trust and respect with this person? Am I the right person to be offering support? If not, is there someone else within the business who has a connection and could maybe have a chat.
It’s important in a situation like this, is that it’s treated with a lot of discretion. And most importantly with respect for that person whom you may be concerned about. There are some great recommendations on the Beyond Blue website:
Be supportive and respectful. This does not mean that you have to support their drug or alcohol use; it means that you are supporting them emotionally. You can listen, talk about what is going on and let them know that they are not alone.
Encourage them to continue doing things that help to improve their mood naturally – drug and alcohol free. Activities might include sport, music, learning a new skill, volunteering or getting outdoors.
Help them find information and advice about drug and alcohol use online, over the phone or in person. If they are not interested you might suggest it again sometime, but be careful not to hassle them about it. You could also encourage them to contact the Beyond Blue Support Service for support.
Encourage them to talk with you or someone they trust about what is worrying them. These worries might be what triggers their drug and alcohol use.
“Am I the right person to be offering support? If not, is there someone else within the business who has a connection and could maybe have a chat. ”
Remember, you don’t need to be the psychologist, doctor or counsellor, but someone who is showing care and empathy. You’re wanting to help them and in turn the employee needs to understand there is a job to be done and to keep everyone safe it is your responsibility to raise concerns.
Of course, you can only help people who want to be helped and unfortunately the case may be this person may not see there is a problem, the situation may worsen, and performance may continue to decline. You may also experience conflict within the workplace as behaviours change and fluctuate. It really is case by case how to manage these circumstances. Ensuring you have clear lines of communication, policies and procedures, handbooks and contracts in place are important to set the boundaries for both you as the employer and to protect the employee’s rights.
This can be an exhausting scenario for any leader, it’s important to maintain your own health and well-being. I liken it to the instructions on an in-flight safety demonstration where you’re instructed to put your oxygen mask on before helping others. To help others you need to have the space and time in yourself, otherwise you risk making a bad decision, saying the wrong thing, and potentially burning out yourself.
For professional advice seek out the helplines such as Lifeline Tasmania (1800 98 44 34), DrugInfo (1300 85 85 84) or Beyond Blue Support Service (1300 22 46 36).
