Lead with Compassion - Addiction
Whether it is drugs or alcohol, no person, family or workplace is immune from the impact of addiction and the problems caused by it. Being in the midst of an addiction struggle is a painfully raw experience and it seems endless. I personally have friends, siblings, extended family and coworkers who are recovered addicts. I also have friends who are currently suffering from the the impact of addicted adult children. One older adult couple that I know are actually raising their grandchildren because their adult children are incapable of parenting. Trying to help a loved one who doesn't want help is overwhelming.
In the workplace, I see the same problems. Many employees are recovered addicts, or are suffering with the addiction of a family members and some employees are active addicts. Whether the addict is on-the-clock or off-the-clock, the impact of their addiction will be reflected in their work performance. As a manager the signs can be subtle and addressing the issue is sensitive. Accusing an employee of being under the influence is tricky. Companies need a well written substance abuse policy and they need to train managers on how to apply and enforce the policy.
A wrongful accusation can cause a lawsuit. Let's say a manager sends an employee out for drug testing, only to find out that the employee was acting unusual because they are diabetic and they had a spell of low blood sugar. In this case, the accused employee may sue the manager and the company for the false accusation via a defamation law suit. Having a good policy and training managers is imperative to avoid legal trouble.
Here are some real life examples of how addition issues impacted my workplace throughout my career:
Ben Johnson: Under the Influence
My first experience with an employee substance abuse issue happened in my first job as a night shift supervisor at a food processing plant. My shift was rolling along normally until about 3:00AM. That is when the Shipping Supervisor, Randy Brown*, came to see me. He told me that he thought one of his employees was under the influence of alcohol and he needed my help. Randy told me as we walked together to the warehouse to observed his employee that his employee's name was Ben Johnson.* When we arrived in the warehouse, I observed Ben for a few minutes and noticed that he did indeed seem off-balance and his movements were very slow. We then walked-up and talked to the Ben, his speech was slurred and his breath smelled like alcohol. Then we asked Ben to come with us to a conference room. During the walk to the conference room, we observed similar behavior; a staggering walk and slurred speech.
In the conference room, we ask Ben if he was drinking and he said "no". We described our observations and than ask him to explain his staggering walk and slurred speech. However, he refused to explain it to us. Randy then stepped out of the conference room and called our Human Recourses Manager. The HR Manager told Randy to call the police and ask if they would pick-up Ben and take him to the hospital for drug and alcohol testing. You see, we could not let Ben drive under-the-influence and it would have been unsafe for us to be behind the wheel with an employee who was under-the-influence. Thankfully the police agreed to pick-up Ben and take him to get drug & alcohol testing.
After Ben was taken away by the police, Randy and I thoroughly documented our observations and interactions with Ben. Later we found out that Ben failed the alcohol blood test and Human Resources managed the situation from there. Ben was terminated and I'm not sure if he received the help he needed. But in this case, what was most important was that Randy took the appropriate action to get Ben off the job. Ben was a qualified forklift driver and being under-the-influence of alcohol while on a forklift would have been dangerous for Ben and the other warehouse employees.
John Meyers: Drug Use
I was an Operation Manager in a large plant. I was going about my day as usual when I received an urgent page over the intercom to the come to the plant's boiler room. I made my way there quickly. When I arrived the Maintenance Supervisor, Peter Kelly*, was there standing over an employee who was slouched over in a chair. John Meyer* was a Maintenance Technician. He was unconscious and he had a hypodermic needle sticking out of his arm. Peter told me that he called security right away and that security called 911 and they were meeting the ambulance in the parking lot and escorting them to the boiler room.
We held John in the chair so he wouldn't fall out and hurt himself. The ambulance was there in a few minutes and they EMT's checked his vitals and said he was alive. They loaded him on the stretcher and quickly got him to the ambulance. Human Resources asked Peter and I to document the events and our observations. HR took over after that. John never came back to work and I never heard whether he got help or not. HR managed the situation confidentially as they should.
Jim Hogan: DUI
Jim Hogan* was a Process Engineer at a plant that I was managing. Jim was enrolled in a 3-day offsite lean training program. Jim attended the training on day-one however he didn't show up for the training on day-two. Jim called me late morning that day. He told me he went to a bar and stayed late drinking. On the way home he fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his car. The police arrested him for DUI.
Jim wasn't sure what the legal outcome would be, but he agreed to come in and meet with the HR Manager and myself. During the meeting, Jim confessed to being an alcoholic and said that he needed help. Alcoholism is considered a disease and is protected under the American Disabilities Act (ADA). The HR manager documented the conversation and outlined the requirements for Jim to retain his employment.
On the legal-side, Jim was fined, required to complete 80 hours of community service and to attend AA meetings. Jim completed his obligations and retained his employment. He continued to work at the company for many more years without incident. The incident and his disease were kept confidential and this afforded Jim a second chance. A few years later, he was promoted unencumbered by his DUI and alcoholism. Asking for help, saved Jim's career.
Sue Worthington & Mary Struble: Attendance Issues
Sue Worthington* was a night shift operator of 25-years who performed acceptably. However, she was a bit of a complainer and rather grumpy. Mary Campbell* was another night shift operator. She worked for the company for 8-years. She performed well and always achieved her production targets. Mary was quiet and generally respected for her dedication and work ethic.
I started to see corrective action reports come across my desk for both of these employees. All for attendance. First a Verbal Warning, then a Written Warning, then a Final Written Warning. Rumors started to surface that Sue and Mary were drinking on the job. Although we couldn't substantiate the rumors, the HR Manager and I decided to talk with the two employees.
We met with Sue first and talked to her about the sudden decline in attendance and ask if she could explain the downturn. She was vague and just made some random excuses. We made her aware of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) but she declined the help.
Next we met with Mary and this conversation went a different direction. Mary started to cry and she told us that her and Sue were drinking massive amounts of alcohol together after work every day. It was more than a liter per day for each of them. She admitted to having a problem with alcohol and she asked for help. We explained the EAP to her and told her that the program was confidential. Because alcoholism is a protected disease under the American Disabilities Act, HR could offer her some job protection as long as she met the program requirements. Mary agreed.
A week later, Sue reached the termination point in the progressive discipline process because of her poor attendance. We offered her help again and she declined it and was terminated. There was nothing more we could do for her. I'm not sure what happened to Sue. I don't know if she was ever able to get back on her feet. Meanwhile, many years later, Mary is still a gainfully employed operator.
Helpful Tips
Addiction issues affect many people, it is not just the addict who is impacted. Family, friends, coworkers and employers are all impacted. As a leader, it is important that we know how to recognize and respond to situations similar to what I described in this article. You need to be a strong but compassionate leader.
Be Prepared:
- Read and understand your company's Substance Abuse Policy. If and when an issue arises, you will not have time to research the policy.
- Gain an understanding of the American Disabilities Act. Understand how addiction is a disease and how it can offer job protection for employees suffering from addiction.
- Have conversations and get coaching from HR before an issue arises.
During an Event:
- Be a strong leader. Never ignore suspicious behavior.
- The safety and health of your employees is at stake. Be calm and control the situation.
- Get immediate help. Do not work these issues alone. Pull-in HR or other managers if HR is not available. You want to get other leaders involved in the situation to help you.
- Keep safety first. the employee of concern should not continue working or drive their car. Do not leave the suspicious employee alone.
- The employee of concern should be supervised in a room away from their workstation while you and your management team develop and execute the plan of action.
- Don't accuse. Ask probing questions and listen to the employee. Describe your observations and ask them to explain this behavior.
- Understand that what might look like drunkenness, has the potential of being a medical issue.
After an Event:
- Documentation is critical. Be accurate and thorough. Your documentation has the potential to end up in a court of law.
- Keep it confidential. You should not talk to anyone about the situation except Human Resources. If someone has a question, send that person the HR.
Be a Strong Leader: Confront suspicious behaviors and control the situation.
Be a Compassionate Leader: Offer help to employees in need. Keep things confidential.
Continue Reading this series:
Lead with Compassion: Mental Health
Lead with Compassion: Diversity
* These events were real, but the names have been changed.
Stay connected with news and updates!
If you want some weekly T4T wisdom coming straight to your inbox for your reading pleasure - look no further! Join our mailing list to receive the latest blogs and updates.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
