Drug and alcohol problems are a feature of modern society and therefore of the workplace. Your organisation probably has a policy on dealing with employees who acknowledge they have an alcohol abuse problem. A problem that probably came to managers attention not because the employee came to work drunk but because of their erratic attendance, the frequent Monday absences after a heavy bout of weekend drinking. The policy no doubt aims to be sympathetic and supportive. Do you have a similar policy for employees who report a drug abuse problem? Perhaps someone who has become addicted to pain killers. What would managers be on the lookout for?

The use of recreational drugs is apparently widespread within the population and no doubt managers take the view that what people do outside of work, provided it does not impact on their work , is not the managers business. But what if work is the cause of someone abusing alcohol and drugs? Self-medication in response to the pressure. What are your responsibilities as an employer?

What about performance enhancing drugs? We tend to think of this in relation to sport but increasingly there are stories of senior managers using cocaine in much the same way as many of us use coffee as a stimulant. Or the belief that certain drugs enhance creativity. In a recent interview Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac ) claimed she performed better on cocaine and champagne. She may have been joking but many in the creative industries apparently support the view.

Occasionally drug use amongst senior managers comes to light when an individual is prosecuted, remember the man from the Co op. Should organisation turn a blind eye to this behaviour if there is no adverse  effect on an individuals performance /behaviour at work or the organisations reputation? What about the duty of care?

What this round up of the drugs and alcohol situation in the workplace is leading to is the question should there be drug testing at work?

“…we believe that every employer should seek to negotiate a comprehensive drugs and alcohol policy that addresses these issues in a fair, open and non-judgemental way. In some workplaces, some form of drug testing can have a part to play in that, but they should never be the first line of protection”.

TUC -Drug Testing at work 2019

In USA random drug testing is far more common than here but we tend to follow where they lead.

“…the biggest criticism of any form of drug testing is that it does not tell an employer what they want to know, which is whether someone is, or was, under the influence of drugs while at work. It will, at best, tell you that the person is likely to have consumed a particular drug in the recent past.  “ (TUC 2019)

Which has led many organisations to question the point of testing. From an HR perspective if as a result of concerns about an individuals attendance record or performance the employee acknowledges they have a problem, asks for support and agrees to seek help it is often a condition of receiving this support and keeping their job that they agree to random tests.

The TUC conclude in their 2019 publication….

“The most effective way of ensuring that drugs are not a problem in the workplace is to have a comprehensive drugs and alcohol policy that seeks to support those that need help in a non-judgemental way”.