Plant Services - November 2007 - (Page 63)

who don’t need to sign for the deliveries. The sample lids can be swapped easily and the chain of custody is shoddy. In short, there’s no way to be certain which sample was his. Perry said that Bo threatened to discharge him from the program if he didn’t admit to using drugs. Because that would jeopardize his job, Perry said he panicked and fabricated the story about getting the drugs on-site. In truth, wrote Perry, he didn’t get any drugs from anyone at the facility nor did he provide drugs to anyone there. Vic replied with another memo informing Perry that he was being terminated two days hence because of his off-duty drug use, his involuntary ouster from the program and his alleged drug use while in rehab. How could this situation have been prevented? Should companies have to investigate any rehab centers they recommend or approve? Is there any way to justify the cost of having a rehabilitation policy? Should an employer be concerned with an employee’s off-duty lifestyle choices? If so, why not be concerned about political activities and other personal choices? Can a company dictate an employee’s behavior when the employee is off-duty and then punish the employee for noncompliance with the policy? If Perry’s admission to using something he received from another patient is true, then he violated his rehab agreement, violated rules about reporting the availability of drugs at the rehab facility, and has now demonstrated “repeat offender” behavior. If, as he later claimed, his admission to using an illegal substance from another patient is false, then he lied. Even if his allegations about the flawed sampling process are accurate, this doesn’t mitigate his culpability. No matter how you slice it, Perry lost his credibility. By his own statements, he’s either a drug user or a liar, maybe both. If companies provide rehab services, they should choose one that meets the requirements of the appropriate certifying entity. Although this doesn’t guarantee that what Perry alleged couldn’t happen, choosing a certified provider seems to demonstrate a reasonable selection standard. Francie Dalton Dalton Alliances Inc. (410) 715-0484 fmdalton@daltonalliances.com A corporate consultant says: It’s sad to see that Vic thought it appropriate to threaten termination in a memo rather than in person, and actually to terminate via memo that way. Is this used-to-be pilot fearing confrontation? Regardless of the offense, personnel actions, particularly terminations, should be done in person. Because Perry’s job focused on safety, it’s appropriate to apply a higher standard of responsibility regarding his off-duty behavior. Use of illegal substances could have affected his performance, and the safety of others. Acme’s rehabilitation policy provides a non-compulsory alternative to summary termination, and seems a reasonable option. That said, short of Perry not engaging in substance abuse to begin with, I don’t think this situation could have been prevented. It’s almost impossible to monitor off-duty activities. An academician says: In most states, Acme would be within its rights to terminate Perry. This would be true even if the off-duty “offense” didn’t seem to have much relation to the employee’s on-thejob performance. There have been some interesting cases in which the court upheld the employer’s right to terminate. Consider the Winn-Dixie truck driver who cross-dressed after hours. There are some notable exceptions, however. For example, one can’t be fired for off-duty religious, union or political activities, or sexual orientation (cross-dressing doesn’t count). If you’re not a subscriber to SKF @ptitude Exchange, you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Put 100 years of SKF experience – and that of our alliance partners – on your desktop. As a subscriber, you can access hundreds of articles, technical handbooks, industrial product guides, training courses, expert systems, and much more To download a FREE article entitled “Keeping pace with development,” visit http://is.aptitudexchange.com/promo/238593 November 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 63 http://is.aptitudexchange.com/promo/238593 http://is.aptitudexchange.com/promo/238593 http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - November 2007

Plant Services - November 2007 Contents New Tools Letters Let Us Know Where to Put the Gas Up and Running How are you Fighting Crisis? What Works Why is the Best Practice Transfer so Hard? Who are you Going to Call? Chained to Power Mobile Mindset Making Money in the Lube Lab Grabbing a Moving Target Bagging the BTUs Keeping Mellow Preserving Health and Safety The Power of Reliability Excellence

Plant Services - November 2007

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