Booze at work

[bobbi o]

Got a guy at work with 20 years service,who has lost it recently,with regards to quality and quantity of work he is producing. he has previous with drinking at work and has been suspended,though this was about 5 years ago.

i'm fairly certain that he is hitting the sauce heavily,certainly out of work and i suspect he is sneaking in the odd lunchtime snifter as well,when i'm not around.

this morning,he returned from a doctors appointment reeking of alcohol. i commented to him that i'd never heard of a doctor treating an eye problem,with a few measures of bacardi,he had a very good excuse,that they used alcohol wipes to clean said eye!

clearly he wont admit he has a problem and rather than getting shot of him,i would like to help him address his problem. he does not have a doctor i can refer him to,so seek advice if their are specialists in this field i can send him to?

[Pablo]

Unfortunately an alchoholic needs to do such things themselves rarely if ever does someone react positively to intervention from others regardless of how well meaning or hurt they are. A doctor is helpless when it comes to alcholism they have to refer to psychology/ counselling services but for anything to work he'll need to genuinely want to sort himself out. You could find out about local AA meets etc and present him with the info whilst saying you're concerned for him but that could just backfire on you and drive him away. Also anyone in the NHS will not discuss anything about him with you if you aren't related because of confidentiality issues.

[joydivision]

Tough one, agree with Pablo there.
Also, if he wont admit he has a problem, i would doubt he would want to do anything about it anyway.
Many alcoholics would never see thereselves as alcoholics, how many blokes do we all know who clearly are alcoholics, but they just refer to it as, 'liking a drink'!
Bottom line is, he needs to want to address the problem himself, otherwise any advice will be falling on deaf ears, I wouldnt know where to start!

JD

[London Stone Paving]

I've been in exactly the same position myself in the past 5 years with 2 seperate employees. I thought exactly the same as you Bobbi. I wanted to try and help them through it. Problem is as the 2 previous posts have said, you cant help them.

You might be able to send him to a specialist once but are you going to be able to accompany him to see the specialist and attend AA twice a week? You cant be with these people 24 hours a day and the moment they are left to thier own devices they will be drinking again.

You cant do anyhting for them until they make the decision for themselves. Sounds harsh but your best just letting them go. You cant grow a business with staff who are alcholics, you end up spending half the time keeping an eye on them and evetually you will get pissed off and fall out with them and then you will be in no position at all to give them any help or support

[local patios and driveway]

i guess all you can do is try to stop him drinking at work, its a verbal warning next time, then written, after that he has had his chances. at the end of the day do you want a drunk on your site? you cant afford to be romantic against the cost of other employees lives.

[lutonlagerlout]

I had it recently with a close relative who is a full bore alkie ,its imposible to get help unless they want it and at this stage they cant function without alcohol.
I have a lot of dead relatives in the greenock/port glasgow area of scotland and there does seem a fatalistic attitude towards drink in that area
"died from a sufeit of pleasure" was one quote of a 39 yr old who had died of alcoholic poisoning after a 3 day bender
it is impossible to get anyone sectioned unless thay are an immediate danger to themselves or others,I.E. waving a knife around.
he needs to want help
most dont
good luck
LLL

[jonnyboyentire]

I feel for you Bobbi.
I agree with Steve (London) and LPAD.

I have been there twice, never again. You just need to go down the warnings route. Try not to get involved because by doing so you put yourself and your business at risk. It's fantastic that you want to be caring and look after a guy that clearly you have had a long association with, but:-








it'll only make a great conversation piece as you are down at the jobcentre.






Get rid, then show some support if he's a true friend. Business is business.

[mickavalon]

Had the same thing as well, nice lad, and I tried to help. I gave him time off to get it "sorted" as he said, and then the first morning back, he got in the Van, stinking of drink and clearly still pissed, so I had to sack him there and then. He lost his missus, house, everything through the drink. It's sad, but drink is probably as bad or worse than any of the illegalls, and I've seen it wreck loads of good people. Best to distance yourself mate or they will mess you up.

[seanandruby]

fair play to you bobbi. Done 3 months in re-hab 25 years ago ( all saints, mick will of heard of the place ). It is true you can't make a guy give up. Bit maybe it's time for some ''tough love.'' have a frank discussion with him and let him know you know you aren't going to tolerate his behaviour. It is a big thing now with h&s. ask him to go see his dr and seek professional help. Tell him you will keep his job open if he getd the cure. Introduce

[seanandruby]

drugs and alcohol testing, i know it's expensive but maybe it could work for you. Remember he's going to have want to give up but sometimes we need a gentle push in the right direction. I think detox is only a week of drugs to ween off these days, it's the phsychological after effects that take some wiping off. Wish i'd of had a boss like you. If it fails then it's goodbye, tough love .

[bobbi o]

issued him with a letter today,that due to his current eye problem (he says he's going blind,after getting hot tar blown into his eye,while unloading off the back of a tipper a few weeks ago) he will not be permitted to attend his work until further notice and requesting a medical certificate signed by a doctor.

he's had 3 days off in the last 2 weeks,with no sick line and no phone call,despite this being a requirement in company handbook.

the tar in the eye excuse(while probably being bullshit and was not verified by any other workmates) is a good one,though the rapid visual deterioration of his eyes,over the last 3 weeks,which both (originally it was just one with a problem) now resemble piss holes in the snow.

i suspect the eyes dont heal too well,if the blood stream is constantly full of alcohol.

because of the eye situation,i have to tread very carefully with regard to disciplinary matters. however it is quite handy for me,as it enables me to get him off work immediately. a blind alcoholic in the workplace,is, i'm sure you'll agree a recipe for disaster.

the plan moving forward is to demand an independent health assesment,on his suitablity to return to work,which i'll organise and tip off the doc about his drink problem.

this is one which will take a while to sort out.

[Exec202]

Got a guy at work with 20 years service,who has lost it recently,with regards to quality and quantity of work he is producing. he has previous with drinking at work and has been suspended,though this was about 5 years ago.

i'm fairly certain that he is hitting the sauce heavily,certainly out of work and i suspect he is sneaking in the odd lunchtime snifter as well,when i'm not around.

this morning,he returned from a doctors appointment reeking of alcohol. i commented to him that i'd never heard of a doctor treating an eye problem,with a few measures of bacardi,he had a very good excuse,that they used alcohol wipes to clean said eye!

clearly he wont admit he has a problem and rather than getting shot of him,i would like to help him address his problem. he does not have a doctor i can refer him to,so seek advice if their are specialists in this field i can send him to?

Hi Bobbi,

Lots of sound advice been put forward by all concerned, and I would offer my tuppenceworth.

I assume that you are the affected parties employer, as such you would be responsible for his welfare at work as detailed within your HSE policy.

Although the affected person has not/will not admit to potentially having a dependence on alcohol, if you have reason to suspect this, then you can challenge the issue and through mediation, hopefully have the person recognise he has a problem, upon successful recognition that an issue clearly affecting the person to operate within the parameters of your HSE policy has been accepted, then I would suggest that you offer the the person a leave of abscence for a time to be determined, to seek treatment, upon notification of the person wishing to return to his previous role, it would not be unreasonable of you to insist on regular checks as to his capacity within the role to ensure that he is still clean and sober, I would suggest twelve months, after this time if all is well he could be reinstated at his previous service level.

Please remeber, as a responsible employer any actions resulting in the death of this person or another as a direct result of his actions, could see you charged with corporate manslaughter.

[bobbi o]

thanks for that exec.the last paragraph is a real frightener. i'll contact my employment lawyer in the morning in order to progress this in the correct manner.

[Tommy]

We had a bloke covering from an agency, always turned up smart and prompt, but stinking of whisky. Then one day about 3 weeks later I was called into the office and told to take him home immediately.... Only filled an old coke bottle up with half coke and half whisky.

Needless to say, we've not seen anything since.

[rab1]

When I served my apprenticeship hardcore drinking was the norm but its being weeded out now. no more pub lunches etc, never forget walking into a student unions and thinking it was booked out for a trade function as half the site were there drinking.