In this session we will look at substance abuse in the workplace. It has been estimated that 1 in 10 employees in this country’s workforce has a substance abuse problem.

The personal impact of substance abuse on an employee can be devastating. It has a destructive effect on just about every part of a person’s life. The substance abuser may end up losing everything, including family, home, friends, savings, job, and physical and mental health.

On the job, the negative fallout of substance abuse includes a steady deterioration of work performance, unreliability, and recklessness that can jeopardize the safety of co-workers, the integrity of the organization’s products and services, and the organization’s reputation.

In this session, we’ll examine the scope and cost of substance abuse and discuss your role in helping to manage this difficult and complex problem in a way that helps employees in need and protects co-workers and the organization from the negative impact of substance abuse.

Session Objectives

The objective of this training session is to provide you with important facts about substance abuse in the workplace and to show you how you can help deal with this damaging problem. At the end of the training session you will be able to:

• Identify the harmful effects of substance abuse in the workplace;
• Enforce the requirements of our policy and the law;
• Recognize signs of an abuse problem; and
• Take effective steps to assist employees in getting help, while protecting other workers and the organization.

Prequiz: How Much Do You Know?

Before we begin the session, let’s take just a few minutes to see how much you already know about substance abuse in the workplace. Read each of the statements on the screen and decide if it is true or false. You can start now.

• Substance abuse in the workplace is very costly—

– This is true.

• You should immediately fire any employee who is suspected of having a substance abuse problem—

– This is false.

• Most substance abusers in America are unemployed—

– This is false.

• Monitoring performance helps detect substance abuse problems early—

– This is true.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right? If not, don’t worry, you’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot more during this session.

The Scope of the Problem

Let’s begin by looking at the scope of substance abuse in the workplace:

• Surveys show that substance abuse is one of the most serious issues currently facing American workplaces.
• It is estimated that 10 percent of all U.S. workers have a substance abuse problem. In fact, the number is probably much higher.
• Some 77 percent of all current illicit drug users aged 18 and older are employed. Over 6 million active alcoholics are on the payrolls of American organizations.
• Finally, alcoholism and drug abuse have been called “democratic diseases” because they can victimize anyone regardless of age, sex, education, social status, or occupation.

Consider what kinds of problems alcohol and drug abuse could cause in your workplace. For example, which jobs in your workplace require good judgment, coordination, alertness, and other skills that could be impaired by substance abuse?

The Cost of Substance Abuse

Substance abuse in the workplace is also very costly. For example:

• It’s been estimated that substance abuse costs employers more than $81 billion annually.
• Studies show that alcohol and drug abusers are far less productive, on average performing at only 67 percent of their work potential. Studies also show they use three times as many sick days. One major automaker, for instance, reports that substance-abusing employees average 40 days of sick leave annually versus 5 days for non-abusing employees.
• Abusers are also more than three times more likely to have an accident on the job as other workers, and they are five times more likely to file workers’ compensation claims.

The Cost of Substance Abuse (cont.)

• In addition, up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to substance abuse.
• Forty-seven percent of all industrial injuries are attributed to substance abuse.
• Finally, substance abuse is also responsible for a large number of thefts and other crimes in the workplace, which cost organizations and other employees substantial amounts of money and may even place some co-workers and supervisors in physical danger.

Drug-Free Workplace Act

Workplace substance abuse is not only a large and costly problem, it is also an issue covered by an important federal law, the Drug-Free Workplace Act, which Congress passed in 1988 to help combat this growing problem. Any organization that receives a federal contract of $100,000 or more, or a federal grant of any size, falls under this act.

• This law requires such organizations to have—and to distribute to all employees—a written policy explaining the rules against drugs in the workplace. The policy must state that employees can’t use, distribute, sell, or make drugs at work.
• The law also requires the organization to have a drug awareness program to warn employees about the dangers of drug use, particularly at work.
• Employees convicted of criminally violating drug-free workplace rules must report the conviction to the organization within 5 days. The organization has 10 days to report the conviction to the government.
• The organization then has 30 days to take appropriate action, which may take the form of discipline—up to and including termination.
• Or, an organization can help the employee get into a government-approved rehabilitation program. The employee must complete the rehabilitation steps agreed on or risk losing his or her job.

Make sure you know if your organization is covered by the Drug-Free Workplace Act and what your role is in implementing your drug awareness program and other requirements of the law.

OSH Act

The Occupational Safety and Health Act, which is administered by OSHA, also requires organizations to take action against substance abuse in the workplace.

• Although there are no specific OSHA regulations that address the issue of substance abuse, the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act requires us to provide our employees with a workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” Clearly, substance abuse is such a hazard.

Workers’ Rights

You also need to be aware of federal laws that protect American workers’ rights. These laws include:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 states that it is illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or withhold a promotion from an employee because they had a substance abuse problem or is currently in a rehabilitation program. This act also protects workers who have a physical disability that produces behaviors similar to substance abuse, such as slurred speech, from being singled out for drug testing. Over half the lawsuits brought against drug-free work programs are for violations of the ADA, so you need to be careful.
• There’s also Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits private employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against staff, such as singling out for testing, based on race, sex, religion, or nationality.
• For organizations with 50 or more employees, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, depending on tenure, for employees dealing with a substance abuse problem. This includes if the employee, or a close family member, is in rehabilitation or has a medical condition resulting from past substance abuse. Similar to the ADA, it’s illegal for an employer to fire, demote, or withhold a promotion because an employee takes leave under these circumstances.
• Finally, depending on your organization, you may need to familiarize yourself with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Under this act, when drug testing occurs, the penalties implemented on union workers must be negotiated with the union ahead of time.

You also need to be aware of your state laws and how they may affect your organization.

Our Policy

Now let’s look at our substance abuse policy. Our policy:

• Prohibits the possession, use, or sale of drugs or alcohol on workplace premises;
• Forbids working under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
• Provides assistance for employees who want help for an abuse problem; and
• Imposes discipline up to and including termination on those who refuse help and continue to abuse drugs or alcohol on the job.

Make sure you understand your organization’s substance abuse policy, including the procedure for Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or outside referrals. Also, familiarize yourself with drug testing procedures, if any, that are a part of your policy.

You Play a Key Role

You play a key role in dealing with substance abuse in our workplace. Why? Because:

• As a supervisor, you are on the front line of our substance abuse awareness campaign. This puts you in a unique position to impress upon your employees the seriousness of the problem and to supply them with useful information about substance abuse and prevention measures.
• You are also the person who has primary responsibility for communicating workplace policy concerning drugs and alcohol.
• Furthermore, you are the one who monitors your employees’ performance on a regular basis, which means you are the one who is most likely to notice the kind of behavior that indicates a possible drug or alcohol problem. Depending on your policy, you may implement reasonable suspicion testing if certain criteria are met.
• However, as supervisor, you should not address any issues as drug or alcohol specific. It’s your job to address issues such as performance or safety problems and refer the employee to your EAP.
• Finally, you may be called on to administer discipline in some cases—or at least to warn employees that discipline may be needed if the employee does not take the required steps in the rehabilitation process.

Confidentiality

Your central role in the control of workplace substance abuse raises the important issue of confidentiality. As a person who may be directly involved in dealing with substance abusers, you will have access to privileged information—information that, for the most part, you must keep to yourself. Here’s why:

• Employee privacy laws require you to keep any discussions with or about an employee suspected of having a drug or alcohol problem strictly confidential.
• This means that the only people you can talk to about this problem, other than the employee himself or herself, are your manager, human resources, others in the organization with a need to know, and the healthcare professionals involved. They, too, will be committed to confidentiality.
• Confidentiality is important not only for legal and moral reasons, but also because it is more likely that an employee who needs help will agree to get it if confidentiality is assured. It will also be easier for the rehabilitated employee to return to work, knowing that he or she has not been the “talk of the organization.”

Documentation

Documentation is another crucial issue in dealing with workplace substance abuse.

• First, establish a basis for comparison by keeping a record of employee performance, including late arrivals, absences, sick days, and other circumstances that have an impact on work performance.
• Also keep a comprehensive log of conversations held with employees involved in incidents such as accidents and near misses. Document other out-of-the-ordinary incidents, such as fights or serious memory lapses, that might be alcohol or drug related. Record dates, times, and witnesses.
• This kind of documentation can help you recognize developing problems. Alcohol and drug problems develop over a period of time, during which individual occurrences may not be given their proper significance unless you have good documentation to help you recognize behavior patterns that may indicate substance abuse.
• By staying aware of growing problems, you greatly improve the chance of early, beneficial intervention.
• Finally, by recording the facts as they occur, you also assemble solid support for your supervisory actions and recommendations.

Exercise

Now it’s time for an exercise. Read through each of the responsibilities that will be listed on the screen and decide if you, as a supervisor, are expected to carry them out.

Here are the correct answers. As a supervisor, should you:

• Communicate workplace policy?—Yes, this is a supervisor’s responsibility.
• Give substance abuse counseling?—No, this is not a supervisor’s responsibility.
• Monitor performance?—Yes, this is a supervisor’s responsibility.
• Administer discipline?—Yes, this is a supervisor’s responsibility.
• Publicize employee’s substance abuse problems?—No, this is not a supervisor’s responsibility.
• Document incidents?—Yes, this is a supervisor’s responsibility.
• And finally, should you diagnose substance abuse problems?—No, this is not a supervisor’s responsibility.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

Substance Abuse Basics

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far. Do you understand:

• The requirements of our substance abuse policy?
• The scope and costs of substance abuse in the workplace?
• Your role in helping us deal with this serious problem?

It is important for you to understand our substance abuse policy and your role in helping us deal with this problem.

Detecting Substance Abuse

In this part of the session, we’ll look at detecting substance abuse on the job, which is not an easy task. In the early stages, in fact, it may be almost invisible. However, be aware that these warning signs could be symptoms of other types of problems as well. Never assume an employee is abusing drugs or alcohol

• The key to detecting substance abuse in the workplace is careful and consistent performance monitoring. Excessive absenteeism and use of sick days are classic indicators of a developing problem, as are mistakes, accidents, and inconsistent performance.
• Abusers may show few obvious signs of impairment, especially in the early stages. Unless you have been closely monitoring performance, it may take an incident like an accident before the problem comes to light.
• What’s more, many substance abusers try to hide their problem. They are secretive about drug or alcohol use and may even deny to themselves that they have a problem.

Detecting Substance Abuse (cont.)

• Another reason substance abuse can be hard to detect is that co-workers may be reluctant to speak up, even if they recognize that there is a problem. They don’t want to get a co-worker in trouble.
• Family and friends may also be enmeshed in the web of secrecy and denial that substance abusers weave around themselves and those close to them.

Early Warning Signs of Substance Abuse

Although detecting substance abuse problems isn’t always easy, there are early warning signs that can alert you to the possibility of an employee’s substance abuse problem. Once again, warning signs could be symptoms of other issues, so be careful to address the problems as job related and not assume the employee is a substance abuser.

• An otherwise inexplicable fall-off of work efficiency in terms of volume, accuracy, or promptness is often an early warning sign of substance abuse problems.
• A classic indicator is excessive tardiness and absenteeism, especially on Mondays and Fridays. The employee takes a lot of sick days or suddenly asks to take vacation time.
• Another warning sign is an increased involvement in accidents and near misses and/or an increase in the employee’s error rate.
• You may also notice changes in the employee’s appearance. The employee may look unhealthy, lose weight, pay less attention to clothing and personal hygiene, or seem tired all the time.
• Alcoholics may become heavy users of breath sweeteners to mask the smell of alcohol.

Early Warning Signs of Substance Abuse (cont.)

Other early warning signs include:

• Mood swings are common, depending on the circumstances, but substance abusers tend to have more frequent and severe changes in mood. One moment they can be cooperative, pleasant co-workers, and the next they may be confrontational, angry, or even violent.
• Another sign is if an employee displays signs of false confidence—even to the point of recklessness. Their poor judgment may lead to accidents or mistakes, and put not only themselves, but also co-workers in danger.
• Fatigue and drowsiness are also common warning signs caused by the substance itself, or side effects such as inability to get enough sleep.
• Along with loss of physical energy, a substance abuser will demonstrate a gradual diminishing of mental processes. There may be, even on the part of a normally sharp employee, an inability to grasp the meaning of facts that are clear to everyone else, to respond intelligently, and to communicate clearly. The employee may at times appear disoriented, or you may notice indecision, poor reasoning, or a rash of foolish errors.

Now, let’s move on to the specific types of substances abused in the workplace, alcohol and drugs.

Alcohol Abuse

Now let’s focus on alcohol abuse in the workplace, starting with the stages of drinking.

• Social drinking often begins during teen years. It continues during adulthood as part of the social ritual—promoting relaxation and decreasing inhibitions. Most people who drink remain social drinkers. Those with alcoholic tendencies progress to the next stage.
• Binge drinking is the consumption of five or more drinks on a single occasion. Although this form of alcohol abuse is usually attributed to people in their teens and twenties, a majority of binge drinking accidents occur with people over 25. While binge drinkers are not necessarily alcoholics, their excessive drinking can lead to problems in the workplace, such as accidents, tardiness, and poor performance.

Alcohol Abuse (cont.)

• Symptomatic drinking occurs when the sensation caused by drinking becomes more important than the social ritual. Symptomatic drinkers don’t need to be in a social environment to drink. They often drink alone. Although there is no actual addiction at this stage, there is a decrease in the effects of alcohol. More and more must be consumed to achieve the same relaxing effect.
• Addictive drinking is the physical result of prolonged symptomatic drinking. The body develops a need for alcohol that the drinker can no longer control. Alcohol doesn’t produce the good feelings it once did, but the alcoholic can’t live without it. Attempts to stop drinking may have bad side effects, including delirium tremens, also called DTs, or convulsions. So the alcoholic keeps drinking.

Early Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse

Although detecting alcohol problems isn’t always easy, there are some early warning signs that can alert you to the possibility of an employee’s alcohol problem.

• An otherwise inexplicable fall-off of work efficiency in terms of volume, accuracy, or promptness is often an early warning sign of substance abuse problems.
• So is frequent tardiness—often explained with increasingly elaborate, but hard to check, excuses.
• Excessive use of sick days is also a common warning sign of substance abuse. These absences often occur on a Friday or a Monday.
• Some employees with alcohol problems may come to you and ask to use vacation time—right away.
• Another indication that you might be dealing with an employee substance abuse problem is an increased involvement in accidents and near misses and/or an increase in the employee’s error rate.
• Another hint of the problem may be heavy use of breath sweeteners. Alcoholics, particularly those who drink during the working day, are heavy users of various sorts of breath mints to kill the smell of alcohol.

Early Warning Signs Of Alcohol Abuse (cont.)

Other early warning signs of alcohol problems may involve physical and mental characteristics, such as:

• Fatigue. The alcoholic is usually always tired, even after a weekend or when just back from vacation. Inability to get enough sleep is a chronic complaint of alcoholics, who frequently become insomniacs.
• Weight loss. As liquor becomes more important to the alcoholic, food becomes less so. As a result, alcoholics frequently lose weight.
• Facial changes. An alcoholic’s skin will often become slack and have an unhealthy look. Also, there may be more than the normal complement of cuts, bumps, and bruises resulting from accidents and domestic squabbles.
• Mental slowdown. Along with loss of physical energy, the alcoholic will demonstrate a gradual diminishing of mental processes. There may be, even on the part of normally sharp individuals, an inability to grasp the meaning of facts that are clear to everyone else, to respond intelligently, and to communicate clearly.

Be aware that one or two of these signs alone does not necessarily indicate an alcohol problem, but a combination of several signs indicates it’s time to speak with the employee about the possibility of an alcohol problem.

Impairment in Functioning

As alcoholism progresses, drinkers become more impaired. Although many of the following characteristics may also be found in nonalcoholics, they are more pronounced—even exaggerated—in alcoholics.

• Alcoholics have a low tolerance for frustration. They do not take disappointments or annoyances lightly. Failure to receive credit for a job well done or a delay in getting an expected raise or promotion can be cause for loud anger or quiet depression.
• They may be impulsive and insist on doing things right away. When an impulsive person works with other people, tension and morale problems may surface.
• Alcoholics may present a “know it all” attitude to obscure a deep feeling of inferiority. But when opposed they usually back down.
• Most people have anxieties, but alcoholics have them to a greater degree than others—and far more consistently. Alcoholics tend to be “worrywarts” for whom a change in routine or procedure generates an anxious reaction.
• People with alcohol problems are frequently oversensitive. They are easily bruised by what they perceive to be slights or put-downs. They may brood about these things and blurt them out angrily weeks or months later, for no apparent reason.

Impairment in Functioning (cont.)

• In addition, alcoholics usually isolate themselves. They drink alone and usually in places where they are not likely to be seen by co-workers. At social gatherings, alcoholics may not drink at all, leading people to believe that they don’t drink alcohol.
• Due to oversensitivity, anxiety, and other phobias that alcoholics may have, they feel rejected by society. Therefore, these people often develop a defiant attitude.
• After denial, alcoholics’ second line of defense is the attempt to rationalize, or transfer blame on to others. Spouses are favorite targets, but there are lots of others—“stupid” people making the rules, “uncooperative” co-workers, the workload, and so on.
• In many ways alcoholics are immature and almost childlike in their dependence on others for support and help. However, the defensive personality on the outside will often show hostility toward those who try to help.

Drug Abuse

Now let’s move on to drug abuse. Although it’s not a new problem in the workplace, recent years have seen a substantial growth in drug problems on the job.

• As with alcohol abuse, drug abuse may be found in all types of people within an organization and at all levels. Drug abusers seek escape from pressures and stress, turning to drugs to smooth out the ups and downs in their lives.
• Drug abuse can take many forms, from use of illegal drugs to abuse of prescription drugs. A little later we’ll look at some of the most common drugs involved in cases of workplace substance abuse.
• Drug abuse can cause serious problems on the job. Among the most critical of these are safety problems. Because of the possible effects of drug use, such as reduced physical coordination, slowed reflexes and mental responses, altered time and space perceptions, drowsiness, confusion, and overconfident, reckless behavior, drug abuse is likely to lead to unsafe acts that cause accidents in the workplace.
• Furthermore, a drug abuser’s productivity and quality of work are also likely to be affected because of impaired judgment, carelessness, fatigue, poor memory and concentration, and so on.

Early Warning Signs of Drug Abuse

As with alcohol abuse, there are some early warning signs of drug abuse. Once again, a caution: These warning signs could be symptoms of other types of problems as well. As you can see, many are the same or similar to the signs of alcohol abuse.

• One of the key indicators of drug abuse is an otherwise inexplicable change in an employee’s job performance. The quality, productivity, or timeliness of the employee’s work declines for no apparent job-related reason.
• Another classic indicator is excessive tardiness and absenteeism, especially on Mondays. The employee takes a lot of sick days or suddenly asks to take vacation time.
• An increased number of accidents and near misses is a warning sign you absolutely cannot ignore.
• You may also notice changes in the employee’s appearance. The employee may look unhealthy, lose weight, pay less attention to clothing and personal hygiene, or seem tired all the time.
• Extremes of attitude and behavior are also common. The drug abuser’s demeanor may fluctuate widely—ranging from frenetic activity and nonstop conversation to silence, even drowsiness.

Early Warning Signs of Drug Abuse (cont.)

• Drug abusers, like alcoholics, also experience mood swings. One moment they can be cooperative, pleasant co-workers, and the next, they may be confrontational, angry, or even violent.
• They may display signs of false confidence—even to the point of recklessness.
• You may also notice a mental slowdown. As drug abuse progresses, the mental processes of the abuser deteriorate. The person may at times appear disoriented, or you may notice indecision, poor reasoning, or a rash of foolish errors.
• Finally, as with alcoholism, secrecy is a hallmark of drug abuse. Since the use of most drugs is illegal, the drug abuser might be even more furtive than the alcoholic.

Common Drugs

Here are a number of commonly used street drugs that might be involved in workplace substance abuse:

• Marijuana is a widely used drug. It is relatively cheap, easily obtainable, and can be smoked with relative ease, even around the workplace.
• Cocaine in its many forms, including crack, is also available and much more addictive.
• Heroin use in the workplace is less common. But many heroin addicts are able, at least for a time, to hold on to a job.

Common Drugs (cont.)

• Amphetamines are a common drug, widely used for everything from dieting to keeping awake on the night shift. Amphetamines come in many varieties and are relatively easy and inexpensive to obtain.
• The most commonly abused amphetamine is methamphetamine. Its popularity has drastically increased in the United States, including in the workplace. Methamphetamines are highly addictive and can lead to workers having serious health problems.
• Finally, there are many prescription drugs that employees may be able to obtain from healthcare providers or obtain illegally. These include sleeping medications, relaxants, and painkillers. However, legally obtained prescription drugs may quickly become addictive and may pose hazards when employees are under their influence while working and while driving.

Symptom Chart

Here’s a chart of possible symptoms of drug abuse, as well as a review of the effects of alcohol abuse. Take a moment to look at the chart and think about the impact these symptoms can have specifically as they relate to on-the-job performance.

As you can see, drug and alcohol abuse may have similar symptoms, but for now let’s focus on the effects of illegal drug use.

• There can be behavioral and physical symptoms, such as excessive activity, drowsiness, tremors, irritability, and anxiety. Users may be uncooperative with other co-workers, unable to stay awake, or make frantic mistakes.
• There can also be symptoms involving impaired mental functions, such as poor judgment, loss of coordination, difficulty concentrating, and overconfidence. These symptoms not only lead to a drop in productivity, but also pose a serious threat to safety as the drug user is more likely to have accidents and engage in risky behavior.

Detecting Substance Abuse

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented in this section. Do you understand:

• The early signs of substance abuse?
• The effect substance abuse has on job performance?
• The effect substance abuse has on workplace safety?

It is important for you to recognize the signs and effects of alcohol and drug abuse so that you can help employees get the assistance they need.

Be Prepared to Act

In this part of the session, we’ll look at what you should do if you suspect that one of your employees is abusing drugs or alcohol on the job or working under the influence.

• Perhaps the most important point is that you should never ignore signs that an employee might have a substance abuse problem.
• When you suspect a problem, talk to the employee privately and confidentially. In your discussion:

– Explain your concerns in terms of safety and performance.

– Describe specific incidents that show why you’re concerned and explain how they could affect other people and tasks. This is where your careful documentation comes in.

– Finally, keep the focus on behavior, not personal issues. Don’t attack the employee or make accusations about substance abuse.

• Give the employee an opportunity to respond. Expect the employee to deny that there’s a problem—but also keep an open mind about the source of the problem. It could be something else.

Be Prepared to Act (cont.)

• At this point, alert the employee to programs within and outside the organization that can help with personal problems of any kind. Assure the employee of your support if he or she seeks help.
• Reemphasize, however, that whether or not the employee chooses to get help, he or she must meet established standards. Agree on a plan for improved performance and a timetable for monitoring progress.
• Warn the employee that if the problem persists, it will lead to discipline up to and including termination under the organization’s policy.
• Monitor the employee’s performance and behavior closely, documenting everything carefully.

Absences from Work

As we discussed earlier, absenteeism resulting from substance abuse is a major problem in the workplace.

• It’s not uncommon for substance abusers who are actively abusing to be absent from work without prior notice, in some cases, for several days. You should document all unexcused absences, remind the employee of workplace policy and their job responsibilities, and take further action if the problem persists.
• If an employee is incarcerated for intoxication outside of the workplace, you should consult your workplace policy and then ask yourself the following questions:

– First, is the illegal activity related to any of their job functions? For example, if an employee is a driver and is convicted of DWI, you have an obligation to confront the employee.

– Has the employee been convicted? Depending on the crime, it may be wise to wait until a conviction to avoid legal trouble.

• Lastly, an employee may be absent because they are attending a rehabilitation program. As we discussed earlier, not only does our policy encourage employees to seek help for their substance abuse problems, but, depending on the size and type of the organization, the ADA and FMLA protect certain employees dealing with substance abuse problems.

How to Handle a Crisis

While having a workplace substance abuse policy is a good way to increase the safety of your organization, you still need to be prepared for the possibility of a crisis involving drugs or alcohol. If you ever feel you or your employees are in immediate danger, call 911 right away.

Signs of a crisis may include slurred speech, staggering walk, odor of alcohol, belligerent attitude, reckless behavior, and so on. In such a situation you need to act quickly to protect the safety of the employee and co-workers.

• The first thing to do in a crisis situation is to call in your manager, another supervisor, or an HR representative to observe and evaluate the employee’s condition. This person can also serve as a witness if there is any legal trouble, such a discrimination allegation.
• If together you agree that there is a problem, quietly ask the employee to come with you to a location where you can talk privately.
• When speaking with the employee, use a nonjudgmental tone and discuss the situation that has just occurred, as well as any other previous incidents you have documented. It is important to stay focused on behaviors relating to the employee’s job performance. Then, listen to what the employee has to say and make sure you understand their explanation.

How to Handle a Crisis (cont.)

• If you believe that the employee has violated workplace policy, you should notify a department head or labor relations representative and inform them of the situation.
• If there is reason to believe the employee is under the influence, you should follow your workplace policy to address the issue. Some examples of policies are:

– Referring the employee to the EAP;

– Suspending the employee while the situation is investigated; or

– Taking the employee to a laboratory to be tested.

• If the employee’s condition is serious and you feel that this person could be a danger to himself or herself or to co-workers, you should request the employee’s verbal consent to be taken to a designated hospital for a fitness-to-work evaluation.

How to Handle a Crisis (cont.)

• If the employee refuses medical evaluation, arrange to have the employee taken home, if necessary by another supervisor. Do not allow the employee to drive. Depending on the employee’s condition, you may need to make sure that there will be someone at home to take care of the employee. Advise the employee that he or she will be contacted later about returning to work, disciplinary action, or other action concerning the incident.
• While it’s your goal to defuse the crisis, if at any time there is an immediate threat to anyone, including the employee in question, or if you observe illegal activity, such as distribution or transportation of illegal substances, you should call local law enforcement.
• Document the incident carefully as soon as possible after the situation has been brought under control. Make a detailed record of all actions, observations, statements, and other pertinent facts. Date, time, location, and witnesses to the incident should be included in your report. Copies of your report should be delivered to your immediate supervisor and the Human Resources department.

Exercise

Now it’s time for an exercise. On the screen, you will see different situations that you could encounter in the workplace. Choose which course of action, as a supervisor, is more appropriate to take, a or b.

1. While talking with employee, you notice they are slurring.

– The correct answer is b—Get a second opinion from an HR representative or another supervisor.

2. You and your manager suspect an employee of being high.

– The correct answer is b—Take the employee to a private area.

Exercise

3. An employee you suspect of using drugs hands in another assignment late.

– The correct answer is b—Discuss problems relating to job performance only.

4. You and your manager speak to an employee who is incoherent.

– The correct answer is a—You should you ask for the employee’s verbal consent to be taken to a hospital.

Substance Abuse Checklist

Now let’s review what we’ve covered today by looking at a substance abuse checklist. Use this checklist to help you see where you need to focus more attention in your effort to deal effectively with the problem of workplace substance abuse.

• Are you familiar with the organization’s policies regarding the use, possession, or sale of drugs or alcohol on the premises?
• Do you understand how federal and state laws affect your workplace policy regarding substance abuse?
• Do you remind your employees about workplace policy on a regular basis?
• Do you distribute and post information about substance abuse as requested by Human Resources?

How did you do? Did you get the answers right? Remember to always consult your workplace policy and federal and state laws when handling a situation that could be related to substance abuse.

Substance Abuse Checklist (cont.)

• Do you how and to whom to refer employees with substance abuse problems?
• Do you know what to do in an alcohol- or drug-related emergency?
• Are you familiar with the symptoms of alcohol and drug abuse?
• Do you document incidents that might be alcohol- or drug-related, including date, time, and the names of witnesses, while maintaining confidentiality?

Key Points To Remember

Here are the key points you should remember from this training session:

• Substance abuse threatens the safety and security of our workplace and employees.
• Never ignore suspected abuse.
• Finally, take immediate action under our policy to get abusers the help they need and to protect your other workers and the organization.

This concludes this training session.