Recoverly organisation toolkit
Talking with a colleague you are worried about: a guide for managers and HR
You do not need to be an expert, and it is not your job to work out whether someone has a drinking problem. Your job is to notice what is happening at work, speak kindly and show the way to help. Check your organisation’s policy and the law before taking any formal step.
Before you speak
- Write down what you have seen at work in plain facts: dates, missed shifts, mistakes, safety near-misses. Leave out your guesses about why.
- Read your organisation’s policy and talk to HR first, so you know what you can offer and what has to follow.
- Choose a private, unhurried time and place. Not in front of others.
- If someone seems unfit to work safely, your safety policy comes first: keep them away from driving, machinery and other risks, make sure they get home safely, and talk afterwards.
In the conversation
- Start with care: “I have noticed some things at work and I am concerned about you.”
- Describe what you have seen, not what you think it means. Ask one open question, then listen. Let there be silence.
- Say what help exists and let them choose: your own support route, a doctor, Tele-MANAS 14416 (toll-free, any hour), or Recoverly (free and private; your organisation cannot see who uses it).
- Be clear and fair about what you expect at work and what happens next, in line with your policy.
- Say honestly who needs to know and why. Do not promise a secrecy you cannot keep.
- Agree a time to check in, and keep it.
Things to avoid
- Labels such as “alcoholic”, and diagnosing. You are describing work, not a person’s health.
- Telling them to “just stop”. Stopping suddenly can be dangerous for someone who drinks heavily, so encourage them to see a doctor first (the stopping-safely guide explains why).
- Arguing, demanding proof, or asking for a promise.
- Discussing it with colleagues, or letting your team guess.
If it is an emergency
- A seizure, severe confusion, seeing or hearing things that are not there, or a collapse: call 112. The stopping-safely guide lists more signs.
- They talk about harming themselves: stay with them, do not leave them alone, and call Tele-MANAS 14416 or 112 together.
Afterwards
- Follow up kindly, even if the first conversation went badly. Change can take time and several tries.
- Keep your notes factual and private.
- Look after yourself. These conversations are hard, so talk to HR or your own support route. Our guide to helping someone who drinks is written for families, and much of it applies.