Drug and alcohol use at work: Guide for people managers

Drug and alcohol use issues affect more people than is commonly thought; however, the CIPD Managing Drug and Alcohol Misuse at Work report suggests this issue is not being adequately managed in the workplace. Only 30% of UK organisations provide guidelines for managers on how to deal with disclosure and how to signpost to support, and just 27% give information for employees about disclosing a problem with alcohol and/or drugs. This is despite the fact that managers are most often:  

• the person an employee will disclose an issue to 
• the person who may pick up that an employee is struggling 
• the person who will be immediately dealing with an incident at work.  

The CIPD Managing Drug and Alcohol Misuse at Work report showed that, in addition, too few employers provide training for line managers on either recognising signs of stress (38%), or recognising the symptoms of drug and alcohol problems (26%). However, these investments in manager capability were rated highly in terms of effectiveness in helping prevent drug and alcohol misuse.  

Drug and alcohol use issues are significant health, safety and employee wellbeing concerns, and it’s important that employers have preventative and supportive measures in place in addition to a clear policy on drug and alcohol misuse and any necessary disciplinary procedures.  

This guidance therefore aims to help managers to effectively support and manage someone who is struggling with drugs and/or alcohol to get help, regardless of whether there is a need for performance or disciplinary measures, and start to bridge the gap in training provision that was highlighted in the CIPD Managing Drug and Alcohol Misuse at Work report.

This guide also outlines the importance of approaching the issue in terms of prevention. Line managers have a strong influence on the working culture and are ideally placed to be able to spot and address issues such as high workloads, long working hours and stress, as well as early warning signs of issues and knowledge of life events such as loss, grief or relationship breakdown, which can trigger a change in drinking or drug using behaviours, and signpost people to support if needed.