Firing Employees

Firing employees legally & easily. New procedure.

There can be many reasons that it becomes necessary to fire employees. One of those reasons can be drinking or taking illegal drugs on-the-job. Almost every company has a documented policy that says employees cannot consume alcohol or drugs on-the-job. Many employers also have documented policies strictly prohibiting the use of recreations drugs when off the time clock. These companies use drug tests to ensure employees using drugs do not remain employed or operate dangerous equipment.

Whatever the policies set forth by your company, it is essential to uphold those policies. Especially in a job setting that requires physical labor, the use of drugs and alcohol could mean the injury or death of an employee or coworker. This is simply not acceptable.

Counseling Employees about Substance Abuse Problems

Often, an employer has an idea which full-time employees may be consuming alcohol on-the-job or drinking at lunch and returning to the work site impaired. The same may well be true of illegal drugs. Even legally prescribed medications can become substance abuse problems for some people and these issues can impact their job safety, quality and performance.

Once an employer has an idea that they may have a staff member with a substance abuse problem, they should tactfully counsel that employee and document the counseling. They might consider providing information about 12-step programs, rehabilitation programs, or other means of getting better. Whatever the company policy, you simply must let the employee know that clearly something is wrong with them and that management suspects drugs or alcohol play a part in this. Often this is enough of a wake-up call to help a motivated employee either seek help or stop using the substance.

When Firing Employees is Necessary

When substance abuse problems, whether drugs or alcohol, rear their ugly heads on-the-job, there are times when you must fire the employees involved. This is especially true if employees are caught using drugs or drinking on-the-job site. The act of consuming alcohol or drugs on-the-job places the company in a scary legal position.

If employees involved in substance abuse have received counseling and written warnings, and perhaps have failed to pass a drug test or more than one drug test, the company policy may demand management to fire the employees. Other companies have a policy of giving the employees a choice between checking into a rehabilitation facility or being fired. In cases where the employees seek help, the company often may perform drug testing without notice. Management may do this when the employees return to work to ensure the company does not have liability issues with workers functioning under the influence at work.

Whatever your company policy is on drugs or alcohol, remember that these problems can cause issues with work attendance, work quantity, and work quality. And the entire organization will suffer. Therefore you must address substance abuse problems quickly and effectively. This helps preserve a workplace that is fair to the good, sober and nondrug-using employees who produce well and seldom if ever miss a day's work.

Fast Track Method For Firing Employees