A Supervisor Helps a Worker Address His Heavy and Excessive Drinking After a Destroyed Relationship
Russ got suspended from high school when he was seventeen years old and eventually found employment at a local crude oil distillery. For the last four-and-a-half years he has gained a reputation as a hard-working individual who infrequently calls off work due to illness.
About eight-and-a-half months ago he started going out with a young lady named Emma. They seemed to get along real well immediately and looked as if they had a lot of fun with one another.
The Heavy and Excessive Drinking Begins
When Russ met Emma, he hardly ever drank. This situation totally changed when they started seeing one another on a fairly regular basis. In truth, everything was going great until Emma called Russ one night just about 2 AM and said that she had to call off their relationship and that she couldn’t tell him what was going on at that time.
The next morning before he went to work, Russ went to her apartment and found out almost immediately that she had already moved out. Russ took this particularly hard. In truth, he was surprised because they seemed to be getting along so well.
When Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Leads to Problems at Work
So what did Russ do about Emma’s leaving? Instead of working through his pain, he began getting drunk almost every night. It didn’t take long for his buddies at work or for his manager to notice that Russ was coming to work late at least twice per week and that he continually called off ill. Furthermore, some of his co-workers made an appointment with staff in Human Resources Department and stated that Russ time after time came to work with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath or on his clothes.
Russ’s manager heard about all of this from Human Resources and also from Russ’s fellow employees. So one Wednesday afternoon he invited Russ into his office. He told Russ that he had recently noticed a clear-cut change in his work performance, sick time, attendance, and in his behavior.
When a Supervison Can Encourage a Worker to Get Help For His or Her Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking
Russ’s boss also mentioned that a number of his co-workers reported him to Human Resources because he had been coming to work with the strong smell of alcohol. His manager then stated the following: “Russ, your co-workers are not reporting you to HR to get you into trouble or because they dislike you but rather because they are concerned about you. And I care too. I don’t want to interfere with your life, but it seems very clear that you are exhibiting some of the characteristic signs and symptoms of problem drinking. Consequently, I want you to go and see a therapist in the employee’s assistance program to discuss your drinking behavior.”
“Russ, I’m no healthcare professional or a counselor, but I have seen quite a few of my relatives and friends suffer through some really negative alcohol side effects. Not only this but I have also witnessed the signs of alcoholism first-hand in my own family. When individuals experience problems with drinking, these problems not only affect the drinker, but they also make an impact on his or her co-workers, neighbors, family, relatives, and friends.”
Russ admired his supervisor very much and consequently followed through with his suggestion the next morning when he called and scheduled an appointment with a healthcare professional in the employee’s assistance program.
Russ is Still Depressed But Feels Some Hope That He Will Get Back on Track With His Life
Although Russ didn’t automatically feel any better or less depressed about the pain in his heart about Emma, he felt some reassurance knowing that his supervisor and his co-workers cared about him and wanted what’s best for him. This gave him some psychological relief for the first time in more than a few weeks and he frankly felt some hope that he would get back on track with his life.