Jordan’s Introduction

PHIL: Hi. I’m Phil. Have you ever noticed an employee’s performance kind of declining--maybe they’re having trouble coming in on time, or the quality of their work is suffering, or they’re more moody or irritable lately

Well, there could be a lot of reasons for that, but... I was surprised to find out how often that can be caused by a person’s off-duty substance use. Even using what a lot of people would call a “normal” amount of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs can start affecting their health, decision-making, and productivity.

It’s tough to know how to handle that kind of situation. You know you need to say something, but at the same time... you are’nt sure how to bring it up and you don’t want them to feel like you’re judging them.

Right now I’m kind of worried about my co-worker Jordan, and I need your help figuring out what to say as I talk to him. Jordan’s part of my team at Valley Burrito. He’s a really nice guy, always been steady and dependable.

On breaks, he always talked about wanting to save up, move out of his parents’ house, go to college… As much as he rocks out in the kitchen, he doesn’t want to do the same thing forever.

But lately he’s been kind of... different. Moody, even. Instead of talking about his big plans, he talks about the parties he’s been to, how late they went, how much weed he’s been smoking and how much he’s been drinking.

And it seems like it’s been affecting his work lately… He came in late four times last month, and a couple days ago he was a no-call no-show. He didn’t get written up or anything, but he did get his hours cut. Jordan says he’s not that worried, but I’m worried that all this partying might get him fired and prevent his college plans from becoming a reality. So I suggested we grab lunch on our off-day.

I could really use your help navigating this conversation--even though you’re not Jordan’s manager, you might find yourself having a similar kind of conversation with someone on your team. I figure our game plan will have three steps:

First we’ll want to bring up our concerns without upsetting Jordan. Make sure he knows we’re here to help him, not judge him.
Next, we should discuss his goals and help him consider how his marijuana use and drinking are affecting them.
If we do it right, he’ll then be open to problem-solving how he can better balance his partying with his goals in life and improve his performance at work. Even a small change could have a big impact.

How well this goes will depend on how Jordan is feeling about his situation, but there are a few strategies we can use to improve our odds.

It helps to stick to the facts, like mentioning missed shifts or how his hours got cut, to keep him from getting defensive. Saying things like "you’re always late" can come off judgmental.

It also helps to show you understand the difficult parts of his situation--the challenges he’s facing. That can encourage him to open up; on the other hand, a "tough love" approach will probably shut him down.

And instead of giving advice, we should ask questions. We can’t help him if we don’t know what’s going on. In fact, when we are ready to help, we should keep asking questions about what Jordan wants to do--because no one knows more about his situation than he does.

When you’re ready, go to the next page to listen to a sample conversation between Phil and Jordan.