Risks of not having a policy
If you do not have a workplace policy in place, you could risk ~
- Implications under the new Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007
- Losing valuable orders and custom since some companies now insist on their link companies having a drugs and alcohol policy in place
- Confusion surrounding company rules and procedures
- Key staff not being equipped to deal with issues as they arise
- Legal proceedings as they are far more likely to arise if an employee is dismissed or disciplined due to drug or alcohol misuse and there is no clear policy in place
There are also three areas of potential costs ~
- Measurable costs: increased sickness; poor productivity and poor quality of work
- Hidden costs: diverted managerial time; friction among workforce and staff turnover
- Other costs: disciplinary actions; legal actions and health & Safety implications
About the policies
DATS provides bespoke drug and alcohol workplace policies for individual businesses. Such policies include ~
- The Aim / Scope ~ who does the policy apply to? Consider home workers, sales teams, company car drivers, people at outlying sites as well as contractors and agency workers
- Definitions ~ ensuring that everyone knows what is meant. Definitions should be clear and unambiguous
- Responsibilities ~ whilst everyone has responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, different roles will have different responsibilities
- Discipline ~ the policy ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them and what will and will not be tolerated
- Help and Support ~ perhaps the most important section of all, as it confirms how employees can access free, local, confidential help and support