Practical guidance on workplace risk testing and employee support from Your Company Works.
For office managers, HR managers, operations managers and business owners, managing alcohol and drugs at work can feel like a sensitive responsibility on an already busy desk. You want to keep people safe, maintain reliable operations and respond fairly when a concern arises.
The way you manage the issue matters too. Clear expectations, proportionate controls and respectful conversations can help you protect your team while maintaining trust. Whether you are reviewing an existing policy or considering testing, start with the work people do and the support they may need.
Following our recent Stoptober content on smoking, we are broadening our workplace wellbeing conversation. The NHS Stoptober campaign offers smoking support; this article focuses on alcohol and drugs at work.
The following seven areas offer a starting point for reviewing your arrangements.
1 Assess health and safety risks from alcohol and drugs at work
An office-based business can still involve safety-critical activities. Employees may drive to client meetings, use equipment or access storage using ladders. Consider where impairment could cause harm, who could be affected and what controls are appropriate. HSE recommends identifying safety-critical work as part of your risk assessment.
For example, a colleague who regularly drives between sites may need different arrangements from someone whose work is mainly desk-based. A workplace risk assessment gives you a practical starting point.
2 Consider next day safety risks from alcohol and drugs at work
Drinking outside working hours can affect the next working day. Alcohol may remain in the body after sleep, while a hangover can affect concentration and leave someone feeling unwell. Coffee or a cold shower will not speed up alcohol leaving the body.
Think about business journeys, early starts and how employees can raise a concern about being fit for a task. Managers should know how to follow your agreed safety procedure if someone appears unfit for safety-critical work.
3 Set health and safety expectations for alcohol and drugs at work
Can your managers and employees easily find and understand your alcohol and drugs policy? HSE recommends an agreed approach that includes support, alongside clarity about when disciplinary or other action may be taken.
Explain expectations for working hours, business lunches, client events and work celebrations. Identify who employees can speak to, how concerns are handled and where support is available. Review the policy when work activities or arrangements change, and include it in staff induction.
4 Use proportionate safety controls for alcohol and drugs at work
Testing may be justified for particular safety-critical roles. The ICO advises that testing should address the safety risk, with consideration of less intrusive alternatives. Blanket random testing is not justified merely because some roles need it. Explain the circumstances, purpose and consequences of testing.
HSE also makes clear that screening alone will not resolve misuse and should form part of a wider health and safety policy.
Before changing your programme, ask what safety problem you are trying to solve. Seek appropriate specialist advice on testing, employment procedures and data protection.
5 Support wellbeing when managing alcohol and drugs at work
An employee may understand the need for a safety measure and still find the experience uncomfortable. If testing is frequent, poorly explained or handled publicly, some employees may feel mistrusted, embarrassed or anxious. This could affect morale, confidence or self-esteem. These are possible experiences to explore, rather than assumptions about everyone who is tested.
Research highlights why the way a process is managed matters. A 1991 survey of 195 pathology laboratory employees found that perceived fairness of drug-testing procedures predicted attitudes including job satisfaction and trust in management. It was a single-workplace observational study, not proof that repeated testing causes lower self-esteem.
A newer meta-analysis, published in Personnel Psychology in 2023, examined 94 samples involving 23,461 workers. Electronic performance monitoring was associated with increased stress, while more transparent and less invasive approaches were associated with more positive attitudes. This concerned electronic monitoring, not alcohol or drug testing, so it offers broader context rather than direct evidence about testing.
Ask how staff experience the process. Is its purpose clear? Are conversations respectful? Do employees know how to raise concerns? HSE stresses that consultation means listening and taking employees’ views into account.
Keep results confidential and securely handled, with access limited appropriately.
6 Respond safely and fairly to alcohol and drugs at work
Changes in attendance, performance or behaviour can have several explanations, including stress or illness. They are not proof of alcohol or drug misuse. HSE highlights the need to recognise concerns without overlooking other causes.
Address immediate safety concerns promptly, then arrange a private conversation based on what has been observed. Managers need to know the policy, who to contact and how to respond when someone asks for help.
7 Make support accessible for alcohol and drugs at work
Employees should know where they can seek confidential help, whether through an employee assistance programme, occupational health, their GP or a specialist alcohol or drug service. HSE recommends explaining the support available and encouraging access to appropriate professional help.
The NHS alcohol support page explains how to access help through a GP or alcohol services. For employees who want to reduce their drinking, NHS Better Health offers practical information. Anyone who may be physically dependent should seek medical advice before stopping suddenly, as withdrawal can be harmful.
Also consider work-related pressures. A workplace stress risk assessment can help you review workload, communication and support. This does not assume work caused someone’s substance use; it helps you address workplace factors within your control.
How Your Company Works can help
Managing alcohol and drugs at work brings together risk assessments, policies, employee wellbeing and day-to-day decisions. You do not have to work through every question alone.
Paula provides calm, practical health and safety support tailored to how your business operates.
We can help with:
- Workplace risk assessments to identify the risks and prioritise proportionate controls.
- Health and safety policy reviews to make expectations and safety procedures clear.
- Workplace stress risk assessments to identify pressures and practical improvements.
- Ongoing Competent Person support to help you put arrangements into practice and review them as your business changes.
Where specialist testing, medical interpretation, treatment, HR or data protection input is needed, those areas should be addressed with the appropriate professionals.
If you are unsure whether your arrangements strike the right balance, book a free 20-minute introductory chat with Paula. We will start with your business, your concerns and the most useful next step.
Email: paula@yourcompanyworks.com
Phone: 07799 533094
