Alcohol and stimulants policy

Alcohol and stimulants policy

Our alcohol and stimulants policy exists because we want to:

• ensure a healthy, safe and productive work environment for each individual employee
• create a work culture that prevents alcohol and drug abuse
• offer support and help to employees with alcohol or drug problems

Give Steel’s alcohol and stimulants policy applies to all employees.
Give Steel depends on qualified and efficient employees and because alcohol and drug abuse usually leads to reduced efficiency and increased absence, Give Steel wants to help any of its employees who have recognised that they have a problem with alcohol or drug abuse.

Guidelines for alcohol consumption/drug use
These guidelines are part of the implementation of Give Steel’s personnel handbook. They describe how Give Steel as a workplace aims (among other things) to prevent both alcohol and drug abuse and how Give Steel provides help for the individual employee if they already have a problem.

During working hours
For the sake of our employees’ well-being, workplace safety and Give Steel’s reputation, our stance is that work, alcohol and drugs do not go together.

Therefore, we:

• do not arrive at work while under the influence of or smelling of alcohol
• do not consume alcohol or other intoxicants/stimulants during working hours
• do not consume alcohol or other intoxicants/stimulants while on Give Steel’s premises or in its vehicles
• do not drive/operate motor vehicles or other equipment after consuming alcohol or other intoxicants/stimulants.

Exceptions
For special occasions such as our Christmas party, summer party, anniversaries and receptions, etc., management may grant permission for alcohol to be consumed.

Outside working hours
We do not consume alcohol or other intoxicants/stimulants while wearing workwear with the Give Steel logo during our spare time.

Dealing with situations involving intoxicated employees and employees with an addiction problem.
As a colleague of an employee with an addiction problem, it is wrong and unethical to close your eyes to the problem and let it go or expect others to take care of it.

If you are worried that a colleague may have an addiction problem, it is your duty as a good colleague to intervene and confront them with your concerns. You can also take up your concerns with your manager.

If an employee perceives a colleague to be in open violation of our alcohol and stimulants policy or seems to be intoxicated, the employee has a duty to contact their immediate manager immediately. As the responsible manager of an employee with an addiction problem, you have a duty to intervene.

In cases where an employee seems to be intoxicated at the workplace or in violation of our alcohol and stimulants policy, it is the manager’s task to handle the situation and thereby ensure that the employee does not perform work.

Testing where there is a reasonable suspicion
When it is suspected that an employee may be in a state of intoxication or that an employee has consumed alcohol or other intoxicants/stimulants, the employee may be asked to submit to alcohol and/or drug testing.

Breathalysers are stored in Bjarne Larsen’s office in the security department. There are also drug testing kits, which can be performed by taking samples of saliva or urine.

Testing as a control measure
As of 15 March 2022, employees of Give Steel can expect to be asked to submit to random testing as a control measure. This is to support operations and to encourage a safe working environment as well as ensuring compliance with internal and external policies and procedures.

Testing as a control measure can be performed using an approved test method by an external company and/or by a single person.

Blood sampling may be offered to the employee if they feel that the breathalyser test may show a false positive. However, it may take some time before a final answer is available. Blood testing is performed at a nearby hospital and must always be performed on a voluntary basis, which is why the employee and a management representative should sign for acceptance before a blood test. Any expenses for medical fees and test result analysis will of course be paid by Give Steel.

Positive test
If a positive test reveals a violation of our alcohol and stimulants policy, this will have legal consequences for your employment, such as a reprimand, a warning, being sent home, termination of your employment or summary dismissal.

If an employee does not wish to submit to testing, regardless of whether they have been randomly selected or selected on the basis of reasonable suspicion, this will be equated with a positive test result above 0.5.

See the below chart for alcohol test results.

Storage of test results
Test results will be kept confidential during the individual employee’s personnel case.

Offer of support measures
An employee with substance abuse problems can receive support through the health insurance policy that Give Steel has taken out. There are various types of treatment.

Prerequisite to the initiation of any treatment of alcohol and substance abuse is that the employee has acknowledged that they have an abuse problem.

Where the employee does not wish to contribute to dealing with their problem or is in violation of Give Steel’s alcohol and stimulants policy, this can lead to the implementation of measures permitted by employment law, including dismissal with or without notice.

Responsibility
Give Steel is responsible for providing general information about the company’s policies and guidelines regarding the consumption of alcohol and other intoxicants/stimulants.

Employee
As an employee you have:

• a duty and responsibility to yourself to work actively to deal with your alcohol or drug problem.
• the right to receive assistance to help you out of your alcohol or drug problem.

The manager
Managers have a special responsibility to ensure compliance with our alcohol policy and guidelines. This means that managers must:

• be role models to other employees and must therefore be aware of their own behaviour.
• take action against any breaches of this policy or guidelines.
• be responsible for providing guidance about any offerings pursuant to this alcohol policy.

The company
As a company, Give Steel undertakes to:

• support any employee who wants help dealing with their alcohol problem.
• inform newly-recruited employees about the current alcohol and stimulants policy and guidelines

Treatment
As already mentioned, the employee is entitled to receive assistance from their workplace if they have an alcohol or substance abuse problem. If the employee needs to take absence from the workplace in connection with this treatment, this will be equated with sick leave and will be treated according to the general rules for sick leave.

The Danish Health Authority’s recommendations
Reference is also made to the Danish Health Authority’s recommendations on alcohol and stimulants.

https://sundhedsstyrelsen.dk/da/sundhed-og-livsstil/alkohol
https://www.sst.dk/da/viden/stoffer

Any employees found trying to deal or otherwise distribute drugs to others at the workplace will be subject to instant summary dismissal and will be reported to the police.