Supervisor Responsibilities
Based on the contents of a company’s drug-free workplace (DFWP) policy it is important to clearly identify a supervisor’s responsibilities.
It is a supervisor’s responsibility to:
o Maintain a safe, secure and productive environment for employees
o Evaluate and discuss performance with employees
o Treat all employees fairly
o Act in a way that does not demean or label people
It is not a supervisor’s responsibility to:
o Diagnose drug and alcohol problems
o Have all the answers
o Provide counseling or therapy
o Be a police officer
Identify Performance Problems vs. Crisis Situations
The supervisor will have immediate contact with his/her assigned employees. Since they will work with them on a regular basis and are responsible for conducting performance reviews on an annual basis, they are in the best position to observe and document changes in an individual employee’s performance and behavior. So it is their responsibility to:
Document performance problems that may be (or may not) be signs of drug use or misuse and/or other personal problems. These can include:
o Poor attendance - tardiness, unexplained absences
o Co-workers or customer complaints
o Mistakes and missed deadlines
Observe and document what we may call “crisis situations” that may consist of:
o Dangerous or threatening behavior
o Obvious impairment
o Possession of alcohol and other drugs
o Illegal activity
- Note: It is important to remember that the supervisor is not trained or responsible for making a diagnosis.
Intervention and Referral for Assistance
The DFWP policy also lays out the specific steps to take when they have identified a performance problem:
- Document the performance problem
- Get themselves ready to confront the employee
- Set the stage by explaining the observed adverse behavior
- Use constructive confrontation
- Refer the employee for assistance
- Follow up on progress towards meeting performance goals
Protecting Confidentiality of the Employee
For supervisor referrals to be effective, an employee needs to know that:
o Problems will not be made public
o Conversations with an Employee Assistance Program professional or other referral agent are private and will be protected
o All information related to performance issues will be maintained in his/her personnel file
o Information about referral to treatment, however, should be kept separately and is confidential
Continued Supervision
In the course of working with an employee after constructive confrontation and referral, the supervisor must provide the employee with:
o Continuing feedback about behavior and performance
o Encouragement to follow through with continuing care and support groups
o Accurate performance appraisals and fair treatment
o Time to adjust to doing things differently
o Respect for his or her privacy
o Open lines of communication
o Corrective action if old behaviors reappear
What would you add to the these responsibilities? Why?