Abstract
HR research and practice has historically prioritised employee performance over wellbeing. Attempts to manage both simultaneously have led to calls to consider paradoxical tensions and to integrate employee perspectives on their management. Problematic substance use (PSU) is inadequately managed in many organisations, with calls for prevention and support to be integrated into wellbeing offerings. Punitive organisational policies and perceptions of unsupportive responses from co-workers impede help-seeking behaviours by healthcare staff. Our study uses a framework analysis from best practice guidance for the management of employee substance use, focused on the level (primary, secondary, tertiary) and the target (individual, group, leader, organisation) to explore organisational policies and processes applicable to the management of the use of alcohol and other substances in employees in a sample of English healthcare trusts. The project aims to identify areas of incongruence and paradox and the potential for an either/or or both/and enactment of policies. Prioritizing the performance element of the paradox ultimately exacerbates the risk that stakeholders seek to manage. Understanding HR’s potential role in mitigating emergence of PSU and supporting pathways for initial reporting, peer support, treatment and recovery are a key aim of the final study.