Introduction
The use of alcohol and other intoxicating substances in the context of work increases the risk of undesirable incidents that affect both HiØ and the staff and can result in e.g. personal injuries in high-risk working environments, harm to health and reduced capacity for work as a result of an addiction to intoxicating substances, or in negative publicity/reputation for HiØ. HiØ’s guidelines for employees and managers cover:
- work-related contexts where alcohol is served
- follow-up of undesirable incidents caused by people being under the influence of intoxicating substances
- follow-up of employees who suffer from addiction
- preventing addiction problems at HiØ
We have five rules:
- It is unacceptable to be under the influence or suffer the after-effects of intoxicating substances during working hours.
- There must be an equivalent non-alcoholic alternative at all events organised by HiØ where alcohol is served.
- When entertaining, travelling or participating in courses and conferences and other work-related events, employees are considered HiØ’s representatives. Employees’ conduct must not have a negative impact on the university college’s reputation.
- The use of alcohol or other intoxicating substances are prohibited in all student activities organised by the university college. Exceptions can be made if it is a natural part of the programme in connection with conferences, celebrations or other occasions. Prior approval must be obtained from the next managerial level up.
- In case of concern or suspected intoxicating substance abuse or other addiction problems, HiØ, represented by the immediate superior, is responsible for broaching this with the person concerned.
HiØ’s attitudes
Østfold University College’s clear stance is that intoxicating substances and work do not belong together, and endeavours to be a driving force in awareness-raising and preventive work. Should intoxicating substance abuse nevertheless occur, there are established procedures for what to do. All HiØ staff must be familiar with these procedures.
An employee with a substance abuse problem is responsible for doing something about it and can ask HiØ for help. Attempts will be made to find solutions.
All employees are responsible for raising concerns relating to intoxicating substance abuse problems in the working environment. It is disloyal to pretend that you don't see, play down or actively hide intoxicating substance abuse in the workplace.
Managers at all levels are responsible for ensuring that employees are made familiar and comply with the applicable guidelines. Managers are also responsible for talking with employees if there are signs that give rise to concern, worry or suspicion. For concrete violations of HiØ’s rules on the use of intoxicating substances and gambling/gaming addiction, the university college’s procedures shall be followed as described above.
Students
HiØ’s stance is that it is also unacceptable for students to be under the influence of intoxicating substances during teaching or other study-related activities. This concerns both alcohol and other intoxicating substances. It also applies to being hungover or smelling of alcohol.
Akan work only applies to employees. Students with intoxicating substance abuse problems or gambling/gaming problems can contact SiØ Advice and Health for support conversations, advice, guidance and help to be referred to adequate treatment services.
Teachers, practical training supervisors and students who suspect that a student is under the influence are advised to contact SiØ Advice and Health. The staff of SiØ Advice and Health are bound by an absolute duty of secrecy and can only report cases to the university college if there is a risk to the life and health of a third party.
All students must contribute to a good and safe learning environment. This means that everyone is responsible for conveying HiØ's guidelines and attitudes to intoxicating substance abuse and gambling/gaming addiction.
HiØ’s clear stance is that intoxicating substances and work do not belong together, and this includes students. Students are subject to the guidelines and rules that apply at the practical training institution while they are in practical training there.
‘Violation of the rules could entail interruptions to the practical training period. This will also have consequences for any further periods of practical training required during the student’s further studies.’
Relevant links:
Who does what?
The Akan committee
Akan is the Norwegian abbreviation for the Norwegian Tripartite Committee for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems in the Workplace. The committee shall be a driving force in awareness-raising and preventive work. The Akan committee comprises representatives of the employer, employees and occupational health service.
Akan contacts/safety representatives
The Akan contacts must be employees who know the department/university college well and who enjoy the trust of the employees. No professional qualifications are required, but they must be given the necessary information and follow-up required to carry out their office.
The Akan contacts must be available to colleagues who need to consult someone about their own or other's intoxicating substance abuse problems. The role as Akan contact is intended to have a preventive effect and shall have an advisory/guiding function in relation to the contact person in an Akan case. Together with the department/operating unit manager and the occupational health service, the Akan contacts participate in the planning, coordination, follow-up and evaluation of individual Akan measures. The safety representatives are Akan contacts at HiØ and this responsibility is defined as part of their safety area.
In cooperation with the other Akan committee members, the Akan contacts are responsible for information and training in intoxicating substance abuse and gambling/gaming issues and for organising the university college’s Akan work.
The Akan contacts shall take regular courses and training.
The HR Department
HiØ’s HR Department has a special responsibility for organisational development and HR work at the university college. In light of this work, the unit also has a special responsibility for promoting a constructive culture in relation to intoxicating substances through long-term planning and development of the organisation as a whole.
Managers
Everyone with personnel responsibility at HiØ is responsible for conveying the university college’s guidelines and attitudes to intoxicating substances and work and for ensuring that the guidelines are complied with in practice. The managers are key personnel whose behaviour sends signals that are important to the working environment. It is important that HiØ managers know their employees so that they can detect early signs of problems, discontent and/or changes in behaviour.
The department/operating unit managers have formal responsibility for ensuring that the university college’s rules on the use of intoxicating substances are complied with. By department and operating unit managers are meant directors, deans, heads of administration, heads of studies, the library manager, the IT operations manager, the head of HiØ’s Centre for Continuing Education and the Foreign Language Centre.
When implementing individual Akan measures, the department/operating unit manager cooperates with the immediate superior of the employee concerned on content, follow-up and evaluation. The immediate superior will normally be responsible for day-to-day follow up at work. The immediate superior must consider whether the employee’s work tasks should be changed and, if so, arrange how long the changes should last. Together with the department/operating unit manager, the immediate superior must follow up the employee concerned more closely than normal to check how they perform their duties.
Employee representatives
The employee representatives play an important role in the Akan work. They shall contribute to ensuring that the university college’s guidelines are known and that the procedure for Akan work is complied with. Employee representatives should show solidarity with employees with intoxicating substance abuse problems by motivating them to use the Akan system. Employee representatives must ensure that employees receive the correct follow-up if they violate the university college’s rules on the use of intoxicating substances.
All employees
Everyone at HiØ shall help to achieve the university college's goals and ensure a good and safe working environment (cf. the Working Environment Act Section 2.3). This means that everyone is responsible for conveying HiØ's guidelines and attitudes to intoxicating substance abuse and work. All employees must ensure that they are not under the influence while at work. All employees are also obliged to notify of strain or stress in the working environment that affects safety and the psychosocial environment at the university college.
The term ‘cover-up’ is used in situations where someone fails to react to suspicion of intoxicating substance abuse and gambling/gaming addiction. The result is that someone is allowed to develop major addiction problems ‘in peace’ without being stopped or helped. ’Covering up’ such problems is negative care and misunderstood solidarity.
All HiØ employees can contact one of the Akan contacts or the occupational health service for advice and help. Everyone involved in personnel matters has a duty of secrecy.
The occupational health service
The occupational health service has a free and independent position at the university college (cf. the Working Environment Act Section 3.3) and is our medical adviser. The occupational health service is represented in the Working Environment Committee (AMU) and the Akan committee.
In cooperation with the other members of the Akan committee, the occupational health service shall provide information and training in issues relating to Akan and intoxicating substance abuse. The occupational health service will also consider intoxicating substance abuse issues during ordinary mapping and follow-up of the working environment.
Together with the department/operating unit manager and Akan contact, the occupational health service is responsible for the content, follow-up and evaluation of individual Akan measures.
Personal contact persons
The personal contact person is chosen by the person involved in the Akan measures and acts as their support person. The occupational health service, Akan contact and manager must accept the choice of personal contact person. The personal contact person cooperates with and receives guidance from the Akan contact and occupational health service. The personal contact person's job is to support and encourage the employee, preferably during working hours. Their role and tasks must otherwise be specifically set out in the individual agreement.
Duty of secrecy/cooperation
Everyone involved in Akan work has a duty of secrecy. For Akan measures to succeed, everyone involved must cooperate closely.
The guide Den nødvendige samtalen (‘The necessary conversation’) can be used as an aid in this work.
Guidelines for following up employees
HiØ’s case processing complies with the provisions of the Working Environment Act, the Public Administration Act and Section 25 of the Civil Service Act.
Basis for actions taken
Our employees can take the initiative themselves to ask for help if they are concerned about their own use of intoxicating substances or gambling/gaming activities and arrange for individual Akan measures to be implemented, even if the problem has not affected their performance at work.
Gambling/gaming has been included as a new area in our Akan work. Problems with intoxicating substance abuse and gambling/gaming cannot automatically be treated equally. As regards gambling/gaming, it is important in each individual case to assess the degree to which the gambling/gaming activities and problems affect work and the individual, what the organisation can/will do to help and when the person concerned should be referred to other agencies.
Individual Akan measures can be implemented after the employee has been given the choice of agreeing to such measures, or the matter can be handled as an ordinary disciplinary case where the employment relationship is considered, with dismissal with notice or summary dismissal as possible consequences.
Akan measures apply to all employees at all levels, and shall be a tool the institution and employees can use to handle intoxicating substance abuse issues internally.
Formal Akan measures are based on a violation of HiØ’s rules on the use of intoxicating substances.
In this context, this entails:
- coming to work under the influence of an intoxicating substance
- using intoxicating substances during working hours
- using intoxicating substances outside working hours so that it leads to:
- absence
- work not being performed satisfactorily
- quality and safety not being safeguarded.
It is normal for HiØ employees to carry out assignments in different places. However, it is necessary to report where you are and how you can be reached, if relevant, during working hours. All departments have their own rules for this.
Signs that work is not being performed satisfactorily can be
- if a person fails to attend agreed meetings with colleagues or students on several occasions
- if a person is rude or unpleasant towards colleagues or students on several occasions
High-quality teaching is characterised by
- a person preparing and developing in their subject and their teaching
- a person participating in discussions on course descriptions and development of the field
It is a reassuring sign when someone takes responsibility and complies with applicable regulations in the workplace to avoid accidents.
Formal procedures
Violations of the rules concerning gambling/gaming and the use of intoxicating substances as described above shall be followed up by the immediate administrative manager in accordance with the procedure applicable at all times. The employee representative should be present. If the person is intoxicated/under the influence, they shall be sent home by the manager and the matter shall be discussed the next working day.
Akan conversation
The first time an employee violates the university college’s guidelines on the use of intoxicating substances and gambling/gaming, the immediate superior shall talk to the person in question and inform them about the applicable guidelines. In this meeting, the employee must be given the opportunity to explain the situation, accompanied by the employee representative if desirable.
A brief summary shall be written of the conversation, to be signed by both parties. This summary must be filed in the employee's personnel file.
Based on the meeting and an assessment of the situation and its severity, the manager can, already on the first violation of the rules, offer the employee an individual Akan agreement. The agreement must be understood as a tool to secure close follow-up and ensure a predictable work situation.
Akan support/treatment
The manager, occupational health service, Akan contact and the person concerned map the scope of the problem and plan the measures together. The support offered will vary from case to case. For many people, a conversation with their immediate superior will be enough to change a negative development. Others may have developed such a strong addiction that they need professional external help.
However, the core of the Akan concept is based on the solidarity the university college and colleagues show by not concealing the problems, but reacting early so that the internal Akan system can provide good and varied measures. A successful result is contingent on each individual agreement being adapted to the individual.
If the employee declines the offer of an individual Akan agreement, the violation of the rules will be treated as an ordinary disciplinary case in accordance with the laws and regulations that apply in such cases.
Storage of documents
As long as formal Akan measures are active, the documentation in the case shall be stored in the occupational health service’s records in addition to the employee's personnel file.
When an Akan agreement is terminated, this should be formalised by the people involved in the case meeting to summarise and evaluate the agreement together with the employee. If more than two years have elapsed since the last breach of the agreement, the case documents shall be shredded.
If the case becomes a disciplinary case, the HR Department takes over the documents.
Tools and forms
Form
- Akan agreement (individual treatment agreement)
Preparing individual measures
Elements that must be considered when preparing the individual measures:
Work-related adjustments
Is it necessary to temporarily change working hours, duties or responsibilities? These assessments must be made by the manager on the basis of considerations for safety, quality and the working environment, and it must be ensured that the employee is capable of performing their job as well as possible.
Continuous evaluation
In practice, the individual Akan agreement is a follow-up plan, and it is important that the agreement is continuously assessed in follow-up meetings. It must be agreed how often the team should meet, where and who should participate. The manager is responsible for the follow-up and ensuring that regular meetings are held. The meetings should focus on work-related matters and functioning at work.
Absence and illness
It must be clarified who should be notified of absence, regardless of cause. Who should be in contact with the employee during sickness absence, and what form should the contact take? Are home visits relevant, and on what occasions? In some situations, it can also be an advantage if the agreement specifically addresses holidays and days off if it makes the employee feel safer, but this must be assessed on a case-to-case basis.
Medical examination and treatment
It is reasonable that the employer – as a condition for an individual Akan agreement – includes a provision that the employee is obliged to contact and organise a health check by occupational health service personnel, their GP or treatment specialists in the addiction field (outpatient clinics for substance abuse). This also applies to gambling/gaming problems.
The employee is required to authorise (in writing) necessary and relevant information exchange and cooperation between the organisation and any external treatment personnel. The occupational health service shall be the point of contact between the organisation and the GP, and, if relevant, other treatment personnel.
Clarification of roles and responsibilities
Clarify who should be involved and what responsibility they should have in the case:
- The employee
- The immediate superior
- The Akan contact
- The occupational health service
- The personal contact /collegial support
What happens in case of breach of the Akan agreement
If an individual Akan agreement has been signed to ensure both the workplace's need for security and that the employee is offered help and support, it is important that one slip-up does not automatically mean that the agreement will be terminated. It would be naïve to think that an Akan agreement means that the employee will never slip up. It is therefore important to have measures in place that ensure that any relapses are identified without compromising safety and that leave room adjustments. The Akan agreement is dynamic and must be seen as a process that differs from person to person and from situation to situation.
If the Akan agreement is violated, this must be followed up. The team working with the employee must meet and find out what has happened and then consider whether the Akan agreement should be corrected and continued, or whether it should be terminated.
If the conclusion is that it is expedient to continue, the agreement can be extended by two new years. Any changes or adjustments or more stringent requirements must be made in writing. If the conclusion is that the Akan agreement should be terminated, the case must be continued as an ordinary disciplinary case. If the employee does not follow up their commitments under the agreement, the team will consider and the manager decide, whether it is expedient to continue the Akan agreement, or whether it should be terminated and the matter handled as an ordinary disciplinary case. The result could be dismissal with notice or summary dismissal, cf. the Working Environment Act Sections 15-7 and 15-14.
Special information for gambling problems
- Is there a need for financial counselling? (Bank/financial institution or the municipality's social services)
- Agreement on wage payments
- Consider the need for professional treatment
Clarification of terms
- Intoxicating substances: In this connection, intoxicating substances are primarily alcohol, in addition to medical drugs that can potentially be used as intoxicating substances, such as sleeping tablets, tranquilizers and strong painkillers.
- Gambling/gaming addiction concerns both betting and computer games. Gambling addiction is a diagnosis that can have major consequences for the person concerned and for their job performance. The workplace can be an important arena for identifying gambling addiction at an early stage. Computer games are not classified as an addiction in the diagnosis system, but Akan is regularly contacted by workplaces that are concerned about employees who play so much in their free time that it affects their job performance. Increased knowledge and openness about the topic can help to ensure that problematic gaming activities are identified at an early stage.
Approved by AMU on 2 September 2016.