Case Study: The Rehabilitation Act

Unfortunately, I believe that some of us had to deal with some employees that have come in intoxicated or we feel s/he has been using drugs of some sort before coming into the work place. In the current scenario and being at work the colleague decides to go to human resources and tell them that she is addicted to alcohol and needs some kind of treatment. Most employers would jump at the chance to fire some employees but in reality they are covered by laws and rights that protect them from discrimination. The discrimination law that I would use in this particular case is that of Rehabilitation Act of 1973. According to Disability.gov website (2016), “The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs …show more content…
The company does however have to provide “reasonable accommodations” for the employee who is seeking treatment (eDrugRehab website, 2016, para. 4). One way that the employer can work with the employee is by allowing them to have flexible hours to provide them time to go to treatment/counseling (eDrugRehab website, 2016, para. 4). The company does not have to hire someone who is a recovering addict or does have a history of substance abuse (eDrugRehab website, 2016, para. 4). When I worked for a publishing company, they had a counseling center lined up for those employees that needed the help. In the scenario, the employer would benefit by referring the employee to such services so s/he can receive help. Employers do not want to lose employees if they are good and do their job as they are expected to. This law is in place to give those employees a chance to keep their job. The employer can also set up stipulations if the employee does not complete a program s/he could lose their job. The only way that the company would fire the employee is if there was danger involved to themselves or other employees (eDrugRehab website, 2016, para. 2).
These laws are very important and I would use these for reference if I ever had employees or co-workers that came in intoxicated or knowing that s/he has a substance abuse problem. I would make sure to tell them that there is help available and they would not lose their job if they went and asked for help. The company is obligated to help out their employees by making accommodations to help in the recovery process. This is a disease and some individuals just have to know that help is available and there are people there to assist them so that they can keep their