Smoking policies, drugs and alcohol abuse

Counselling and support

Problems like drug and alcohol abuse aren't easy to deal with. Simply setting down rules and then disciplining employees who break them is rarely the best approach. Instead, you should look for ways to provide support to employees who have a problem.

You may be able to provide a sympathetic ear yourself. But these are complicated matters and specialist advice may be needed. You should encourage employees to make use of support services.

• An employee's GP may be able to provide help and advice or refer them to a specialist.
• You can find local alcohol treatment services on the Alcohol Concern website.
• And you can find local drug treatment services using the Helpfinder database on the DrugScope website.

Occupational health and welfare

Some businesses also provide an occupational health service for their employees. As well as responding to any problems that arise, this can help to promote employee welfare and prevent problems arising in the first place.

You'll need to investigate whether the costs would be matched by reductions in illness and absence.

You can read about occupational health services on the NHS Plus website.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Define policies on smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse
• Smoking policies
• Dealing with alcohol abuse
• Dealing with drug abuse
• Manage stress effectively
• Counselling and support
• Checklist: what your smoking, drug and alcohol abuse policies should cover
• Discipline, grievance and dismissal procedures

 Print This Page

Source - Business Link; Crown Copyright.