The case depicts a typical scenario, when a workers might notice some unusual signs in their fellow mates. You may notice changes in a co-worker, which might be a result of alcohol or any other drug abuse. Sometimes, these changes are observed long before the person’s job performance is affected. At other times, it might be sudden poor performance, which might set the trigger for you to notice. Whatever the case may be, there are always three alternatives at your disposal, as far as talking action is concerned. You might chose to talk to your co-worker and suggest him plans for remediation, or suggest him places where he could find help. Alternately, you might chose to take action fearing that his habits might risk and reputation and business of the organization, or you could simply decide to mind your own business, ignoring the larger good of the organization, not willing to risk your personal relationship. It would be worthwhile to analyze the implications of each of these options, both in terms of organizational development as well as the addict’s future.
Analyzing drinking habit at workplace
Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in any workplace. Over addiction can lead to irreparable losses, especially in engineering and construction industries. In such industries, it might contribute to increased medical costs, lost workdays, poor quality, inefficient productivity, and other kind of safety problems. These harmful addiction, impact not only the user, but also other employees, clients, and general public. This is the reason why mandatory testing has been implemented in most of the industries, where impaired judgment can lead to significant injuries and risk. Expansion of this kind of mandatory testing has been an important area of discussion, as far as journals and textbooks are concerned. Very few people in industry have not had to face such situations where they had to deal with an alcohol problem. And, with the rising level of alcohol culture, the chance of dealing with drug usage at workplace becomes even greater and more serious.
This case poses a very pertinent and ethical question. It is a puzzling question to decide on what is more important, the civil rights, freedom and privacy of the employee, or the interests of the employers. This dilemma further increases, when we analyze the nature of the mandatory testing initiatives. Most of the mandatory tests, are not accompanied by rehabilitation efforts, as they are never founded keeping in mind the concern of the individual. Their sole intention might be to remove all hindrances which reduce productivity and efficiency. These programs might use testing results to dismiss abusers from permanent employment. In a way, they view individuals as a means to an end. They are simply objects with an intrinsic value.
Immanuel Kant and several other philosophers have laid stress on the intrinsic value of humans. Moral theory encourages us to treat people as ends in themselves, and not as a means to achieve an end . It is here, where John Crane has to take a decision and choose a proper course of action.
John’s dilemma is: Should he speak to Andy about Andy’s drinking issue, or should simply ignore it? John is not comfortable enough discussing these topics with Andy. In this respect, majority of the people are like John. Not many people find it easy to initiate discussion on such sensitive topics. However, the case mentions that John and Andy have been working together for several years, and John has developed good respect for Andy’s work. They have a close working relationship at their workplace. It is important to understand that, friends can have a significant impact if they show genuine concern. It is common to hear announcements like “friends don’t let their friends drive being drunk”. They don’t find it cool, to keep quiet and let their friends abuse themselves. Certainly, the aspects of privacy and freedom are also an important consideration, however that should not stop someone from making an honest attempt to communicate. Sometimes, small conversations, done at the right time might prevent huge mishaps at a later stage.
Generally, substance abuse is associated with low self-confidence and self-esteem. Though, it is difficult to conclude the exact the reason for the abuse in Andy’s case, but if it is, it might be encouraging for Andy to discover that John values him enough, to initiate a dialogue with him. Moreover, if more individuals are willing to lay aside their personal discomfort, and talk to their fellow mates at workplace, then mandatory drug testing would not at all be an issue. In fact, gradually, the very need for such a system would be eliminated. The concerns expressed by John are founded on the principle of treating individuals as objects with some intrinsic value.
What about the intrinsic value of other employees?
Of course, John should discuss out his concerns with Andy. Andy’s promotion as ‘Head of Quality Control’ coupled with his alcohol abuse habit, might place him in a situation where other employees and stakeholders may get adversely impacted because of his impaired judgment. Any kind of slackness, although unintentional, might result in a safety risk for other employees at work. In such a case, the ‘Moral theory’ states that, intrinsic value of other employees should take precedence. It would be unfair to risk the lives or jobs of other individuals. Similarly, any slack with regard to the product quality might also negatively impact the production standards of Branch Inc. This might cost them their existing business. They might lose their competency to deal with rising client expectations with regard to product quality, and might eventually lose their important clients.
Use and abuse of alcohol at workplace cannot be approved or sanctioned. This carries a simple logic that an individual cannot be a 100% performer, if he is under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. This is because, his reaction time gets slowed down (though the person might assure that, alcohol rather boosts his performance). Any worker, giving less than his potential performance cheats both his company, as well as himself. In a work environment where machinery is involved, the person under the influence of alcohol, faces the risk of injury, both to himself and possibly to others as well. In case of Andy, being promoted as the head of quality control, might result in slackness in the desired quality standards, resulting in production of sub-standard items. It would be quite irrational to speak about his current performance levels, and wait for an unfavorable incident to take place, before taking an action. In an important designation, like that of quality control manager, most of the time, decisions are to be made quite quickly and these have a downstream effect on the functioning of other departments. It is absolutely critical that the decision-maker at the top level should not be under the influence of any kind of substance, which impacts his rational thinking ability or speed. The case denies any instance of quality issue under Andy’s supervision. If Andy can perform well in his addicted state, he can certainly perform better when he is more aware.
What could be the correct approach?
Whenever dealing with such a situation, it is important to understand that you might play a big role in diagnosing and counselling your fellow mate. In case of John, he could play a significant role by following the below steps.
Early recognition
First and foremost John should try to confirm that Andy faces an alcohol abuse. This can be noticed by observing certain changes in his attitude, job performance or behavior. Some common specific changes that he could notice are :
- Problems with attendance or absenteeism
- Not following safety and health rules
- Talking with other sub-ordinates to understand his behavior
- Exaggerating his work accomplishments
- Forgetfulness or memory errors
- Visibly reduced motivation to work.
- Changes in quality of work
How to discuss the situation?
John should engage himself in conversations with Andy, trying to find out his social and psychological status of mind. In addition to minor problems at work, signs of alcohol abuse would also show up in other areas of life. As Andy has an addiction problem, there are high chances that he would be having difficulty in some or many of the following areas.
Figure: The probable reasons for the alcohol abuse
As illustrated above, John might have problems related to money, or with law, certain kind of medical problems, strong feelings of remorse or guilt, or depression. He could also be facing problems pertaining to his personal life, children, spouse, or may be sexuality. Alcohol abuse might just be an expression for the immense pressure that he feels inside.
For John, if he is concerned, it is important for him to act early. Early intervention can save Andy’s health, family life as well as his career. There are certain key factors which John should keep in mind while discussing the problem with Andy.
- While talking to Andy on this, John should try to convince Andy that alcohol addiction is not a personality disorder or a moral illness. It is important to explain to him that it is just like any other addiction and he needs to shed it off soon. This approach is important while explaining because Andy might perceive his public image as someone who lacks moral values or ethical standards. He might become suspicious about John’s intentions, especially after his recent promotion as the quality control manager. He might view it as an attempt by John to malign his credibility out of his jealousy. Thus, the idea is to make him believe that it is more of a physical disease and less of a weakness or personality issue.
- Secondly, John should follow a flexible and caring approach towards Andy. He should begin his conversation with a tone of persuasion. Initially, he should expect defensiveness and denial from Andy. It is highly unlikely that Andy will admit to his problem at the very first attempt. It might take some time for Andy to understand the implications of his actions, and to get through the message which John wants to convey. It is important for John to understand the importance of being patient in dealing with Andy.
- While interacting with Andy, John should also keep in mind the fact that there has been absolutely now evidence against Andy, which can prove the accusation. So, it would be a wrong idea to directly accuse or blame Andy for this. The approach should be more of a calculated one. John needs to convince Andy that there is absolutely no doubts regarding his current performance levels, but the concern lies in any potential mishaps which can occur in the future. John should not question Andy’s loyalty for the organization as a while. His approach should be to focus more the addiction part of Andy, and to suggest ways in which he could remove them.
- Lastly, John should try to offer information regarding professional help of any kind. He could give Andy the details of a professional in this regard. It could be a person from ‘employee assistance program’, a human resource manager, a safety person, or an immediate manager. The best thing to do would be to discuss Andy’s situation confidentially by fixing a personal appointment. In such situations, professional support and treatment becomes indispensable. Employee assistance programs, can be the best savior in such situations
Importance of counselling
John’s act of helping out Andy, might prove to be quite beneficial for him in the long run. Sooner or later, Andy might get observed and caught for his addiction. If such a case happens, it would be a matter of utter shame and embarrassment for Andy. He might lose his post as a quality control manager, or in the worst case, lose his job as well. He might lose his credibility as an employee, and might face issues with his future employment as well. This could be worse than accepting the fact that you need a treatment.
Andy can opt for some employee assistance program, which promote humanitarian philosophy towards alcoholism at the workplace. Such programs perform many functions . They promote the idea that workplace is an ideal setting to alcohol problems can be dealt with constructively. Through the activities of assistance programs, senior management convey their tolerance for alcohol problems. They also serve to alter the attitudes, which other employees hold about alcoholism. They make them see alcoholism as a habit which can be easily corrected with some effort. This makes the remaining employees believe that alcoholics are not any kind of lost souls, but are simple addicts, who, with normal treatment can be absolutely normal. Alcohol educators convey the message that alcoholism was definitely a treatable addiction and is not a social stigma. They make sure that the underlying problems of the affected employees are understood and they are guided in the right direction. By understanding their real problems, all efforts are made to bring them back to track, as precious assets for the organization.
Whistleblowing versus personal relationship
After John has discussed the matter with Andy, there could be several outcomes possible. One scenario could be when Andy takes things positively and appreciates John’s concern. He might accept the proposition that, additional job responsibilities might deepen his need for alcohol. He might accept the fact that his growing level of accountability demands him to be extra vigilant with regard to job operations. Considering the dangers of his addiction, on his workers and staff, he might like to move ahead with some recommended counselling program and take remediation steps.
In the second scenario, Andy might choose to ignore John in all forms. He might decide to take no action to curb his problem, or he might not accept the problem in the first place. In such a scenario, John might be compelled to inform company management of the entire story. This action would be a form of ‘whistleblowing’, which might permanently end the friendship between John and Andy. But, this action would prevent Andy from getting into a locked up situation where he could create problems, both for himself as well as others. Not getting the job, followed by proper advice from senior management, might lead Andy into admitting his real problem and force him into seeking a rehabilitation therapy. Unless, Andy admits to his problem, he might never give up excessive drinking.
Moral obligation for John
John is himself an employee of Branch, Inc. As an employee, he is expected to be loyal to his organization and prevent any kind of wrong happenings which hinder the organization’s productivity. The case discusses about the recent problems which company has been going through. It has been losing its market share and facing tough challenges from its competitors. The senior management have been shown to be specifically worried about alcohol abuse as one of the primary reasons for reduce worker productivity. They have been strict enough to implement a no-tolerance policy towards employees working under the influence of any kind of drug or alcohol. Under such a situation, it is the responsibility of John to act as a ‘faithful servant’ of his employer. Branch Inc., being John’s employer, his immediate loyalty should lie with his company, rather than with his close associate Andy. As a trustee, he should take care to abide by his employer’s present policies. He should be concerned about his employer’s welfare and growth in the long run. Of course, he cannot take the liberty of confronting or punishing Andy, all by himself. The ideal method would be to discuss out the issue with him once and observe his response. If Andy accepts his problem and promises to adopt remedial steps, it should be fine for John. However, in the event when Andy tries to defend himself, John should not take himself too much into this. He should not substitute his personal judgment into the situation, but go through appropriate prescribed channels. The most inappropriate option for him would be to remain silent on the whole issue and mind his own business. In case, John chooses such a path for himself, he would neither be a good friend, nor a trusted employee. He would not only put the organization’s productivity at stake, but also add to the original problem by ignoring the consequences of the problems.
References
Gray, JW. Ethical Realism. 20 August 2010. https://ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/ethical-theories/. 25 November 2014.
Livingston, Caroline E Dale and Michael J. "The burden of alcohol drinking on co-workers in the Australian workplace." The Medical Journal of Australia (2010): 138-140. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/3/burden-alcohol-drinking-co-workers-australian-workplace.
Martin, J.K., T.C. Blum & P.M. Roman. "Drinking to cope and self-medication: Characteristics of jobs in relation to workers’ drinking behaviors." Journal of Organizational Behavior (n.d.): 55-71. Journal.
