Managing employees whose work is impacted by drinking outside work or who may even have turned up at work under the influence of alcohol and unfit to work, requires careful review and should not necessarily result in dismissal or disciplinary action being taken. A distinction needs to be drawn between social drinking and alcoholism to determine what action is approriate to take, as the Labour Court has upheld that alcoholism is a disability under the Employment Equality Acts, 1998 – 2004 and therefore, employers are required to provide “reasonable accomodation” in respect of an employee who has a drinking problem. Once a medical opinion has confirmed alcoholism, an appropriate rehabilitation program needs to be arranged and facilitated by the employer. The employee also should be clearly told that alcohol consumption that affects his/her performance and ability to carry out their duties is prohibited and that they will not be allowed to attend work if unfit. This is even more important if they are engaged in safety critical roles that may endanger not only themselves but colleagues and the public. If rehabilitation proves unsuccessful, an employer is then in a better position to review the longer term situation and whether employment can be maintained.

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