Employee Assessment and Intervention

Approaching an employee about their drug or alcohol problem can be a very sensitive matter. For this reason it needs to be handled by professional ‘interventionists’ who understand the nature of drug and alcohol problems and have the training to deal with the problem accordingly.

From the very outset the organisations’ drug and alcohol policy should encourage employees with drug and alcohol problems to seek help and treatment for their condition. It should be noted that if an employee declares that they have a problem that is affecting their performance at work that the organisation will adopt a supportive approach in helping the employee to find treatment.

UKASSA offers a professional employee assessment and intervention service offered by Hazelden trained drug and alcohol psychotherapists. This is a through one to one, two-hour assessment that follows the World Health Organisations procedures for the assessment of addictive disorders.

This process follows the groundwork for any treatment that the employee may be asked to engage in and is an important first step to help the employee to seek treatment.

UKASSA works side by side with the HR, Personnel and Occupational Health staff to ensure that this process is effective. A lot of time, resources and money can be wasted going through the long drawn-out HR processes involved in disciplinary proceedings or documenting for the termination of an employment contract. Verbal warnings, first written warnings, second written warnings, performance improvement plans – this process could take up to six months or more under certain circumstances. It is a waste of company time and resources, not to mention the fact that the employee concerned may not performing or functioning properly during this period – making mistakes, missing opportunities, exposing the organisation to unnecessary risks and potentially having a negative impact on many areas of the business. It is better to give the employee the chance to sort themselves out through the option of a rehabilitation and treatment program. This also covers the organisation in terms of their legal position – being able to show that a supportive and ethical approach is offered to employees with drug and alcohol problems.