One of the most common worries we hear from managers is: "What if I get it wrong?"
It is a fair concern. Approaching an employee about suspected drug or alcohol use is one of the hardest conversations a manager can have. Getting it wrong can damage trust, cause distress and expose the organisation to risk. Ignoring it can put lives at risk.
The answer lies in a simple principle: observe, don't assume.
What a manager can reasonably observe
Managers are not expected to diagnose anything. They are expected to notice and act on what they can see and hear. That might include:
- The smell of alcohol
- Slurred speech or unsteadiness
- Sudden changes in behaviour, mood or performance
- Patterns of lateness or unexplained absence
- Near misses, errors or incidents
What a manager cannot conclude
Here is the important part. From those observations alone, a manager cannot conclude:
- That someone has definitely taken drugs or alcohol
- What substance was involved, or how much
- A level of impairment
- That there is no medical or other explanation
Many indicators can have other causes, including illness, prescribed medication, fatigue or personal stress. That is why indicators alone do not prove drug or alcohol use.
Why the distinction matters
When managers record facts ("at 07:15 I noticed he was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred") instead of conclusions ("he was drunk"), three things happen:
- Decisions become fairer and more consistent.
- Records become more reliable if they are ever reviewed.
- The employee is treated with dignity, which keeps the door open for support.
Safety still comes first
None of this means waiting for proof before acting. If there is a genuine concern about someone's fitness for a safety-critical task, the immediate priority is to remove the risk. Then follow your organisation's procedure.
This balance between acting decisively on safety and staying fair on facts is at the heart of our manager and supervisor training.