The workplace - an arena for alcohol and drug prevention

It is Alna’s fundamental belief that all workplaces should be free from the negative consequences of alcohol and other drugs.

The Alna model

Alna provides assistance to workplaces through a proactive model. Additionally, Alna assists with appro­priate help and rehabilitation for employees with various problems connected to substance abuse. We emphasize that substance abuse is no longer solely a question for experts, but a question for managers to deal with together with their employees.

The Alna model involves working systematically with proactive measures and support in the rehabilitative process, all based on an organizational perspective.

The proactive work

The proactive work starts with the management or its equivalent. A framework needs to be formulated according the specific organization or enterprise. This framework will thus form the basis of the policy which the management and the trade unions will come to support. The attitudes, norms and values of the management, with regard to these questions, are the foundation and beginning of the success of the policy.

It is also important that everyone is aware of their individual responsibility in order to carry out the policies, rules and guidelines that govern the workplace.

Important competency

An essential part of the proactive work is the effort to raise the level of competence. The management or their equivalent are given information about the positive benefits that conscious efforts against abuse can make on profitability, safety, efficiency, etc. The human resource department is given information and updates about the rehabilitation process, labour laws and more.

The raising of the competence level is proven to support managers and helping them to exercise active leader­ship, which becomes a benefit, not only when people fail to perform at their best, but also in their proactive work on other types of illness.

Safety officers/representatives are trained to have the same knowledge about abuse as the managers. This is in order to be able to make relevant demands on the management and to provide support to their union members when required or requested.

All employees are given information about abuse and its consequences as well as the rules and guidelines in the workplace. This knowledge enables individuals to make conscious choices about their own lifestyles, as well as being able to show concern for co-workers when expected to be at risk due to drug abuse and poor health.

Managing abuse-related problems

Even if an employer works systematically with abuse-related issues, employees might still exercise poor judgment or develop problems. In order to handle such situations, individual measures adapted to the particular circumstance are required.

Even if managers have gained knowledge about how to proceed or what to do, they often need professional advice in these situations. If the problem requires an employee to change his/her approach and lifestyle, a motivational set of several meetings are set up in order to analyze and inquire about the overall life, work, health situation etc. of said employee. This is done in order to assess which rehabilitating methods best be suited in motivating and helping this specific individual to make changes in his/hers current situation. The employee will receive an individual rehabilitation plan, all depending on its specific complexity. The agenda is to rehabilitate the employee in the best of ways as well as assuring a quick return to work, which frequently is beneficial to all parties.

About Alna Sverige AB

Alna works to prevent alcohol and substance abuse in the workplace and was founded in 1961 by the Swedish labour market parties; Svenskt Näringsliv (The Con­federation of Swedish Enterprise), Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting (The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions), Arbetsgivarföreningen KFO (Independent employers’ organization for co-operative business), Idea (the Employers’ Association for Non-Profit Organizations), LO (Swedish Trade Union Federation), TCO (Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees) and Saco (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations). 

Since 1st of januari 2020 Alna is owned by Feelgood Svenska AB.

The misuse of alcohol and other drugs affects people’s health in all of Europe. Statistics say that 7.4% of all illness is caused by alcohol abuse.

To conclude about Alnas work

All workplaces should be free from alcohol and other drugs. Alcohol and drugconsumption is incompatible with safe and effective job performance. All measures taken to help an employee with alcohol- and other drug problems must aim at enabling him/her to retain their regular occupation.