Topic: Will You Fire Your Best Employee Who Is Addicted To Gambling ? - page 2. (Read 352 times)

Few minutes ago in one of my response to particular post, I said that I'm going to sack my worker who is addicted to gambling and just few minutes later, I'm seeing this topic now. There's a difference between an employee and the best employee and that's why I expect this topic to be difficult for a lot of people to give their opinions. When someone is employed, he automatically becomes an employee but to be considered as the best employee, the said person must work better than his/her other colleagues and that's why it'll be a very difficult decision for many employers to sack such person even after discovering that their best employee is a gambling addict.
Gambling addiction is actually one of the worst things that can happen to any individual and if for any reason I find out that my best employee is addicted to gambling, I'll first try make him see reasons why he must work on himself and get over his gambling addiction and if he decides to end his addiction, I'll provided him with every necessary support he'll need to break through from his addiction but if I find out that he's not ready to end his gambling addiction, I'll simply sack him because to me, I see hik as a threat to my establishment

We owned a small eatery just a few blocks from our home and overall, we have 3 people working there (2 cooks & 1 all-around helper).

They are all addicted to playing online slot games even during their duty but still, no work goes idle and they can maintain a smooth operation. I even play with them and I know what they're doing during work operation. I even allowed them to drink late at night as long as it wouldn't affect the next day's operation.

Being addicted to gambling doesn't mean they are being irresponsible people already. If they are a better and responsible person outside their gambling habit, that shouldn't be a reason to fire them. It's unfair to judge the book by its cover. Different story though, if I will see them showing strange behaviours.

I agree with you, actually we need a detailed statement for this case because if he has experienced a gambling addiction recently then the company leadership needs to review his performance regularly but if the condition is that he has experienced a gambling addiction but it does not interfere with work activities and there are no rules ethics are violated then there is no reason to fire him. However, I suggest never placing him in the position of financial staff or treasurer because there is the potential for unexpected things to happen because he has access to use company finances for personal needs.

I really don't see how the employees personal life would affect me, so long he doesn't use his addiction to interrupt my business operations and he shouldn't gamble during working hours. Well as a gambling addict, I don't know if it would be possible for him to really hide his addiction from everyone. Even though he trys to, it won't be for long.
And to start with, an irresponsible gambler, who turns out to be an addict, would probably not be able to meet such working standards that would make him the best in his field. He will be distracted and not really focus on his work. But for situation like this, he probably won't get a job at first..

If the employee is not in charge of finances then I can leave him since gambling is a private thing and also it will becomes a problems if he gamble at work I will fire him, but if he only gamble at his free time, he can be free to gamble but I will make sure that I put him far from the company finances since I already know how gambling addicts behave with money.

But also I will not blame anyone for taking the action to fire a worker who seems to be uncontrolly addicted to gambling if it against their working ethics.

The best employee in many scenarios will have been trained by the company hence why he is the best. They may have spent a lot of resources in equipping by training the staff to be better than when he/she was, when first employed.
It will surely be a disappointing news to the management about such a gambling habit and am sure they'll inquire if such gambling habit is brought to work, that is, done during working hours or after working hours and how much he spends to gamble.

Trying to help such an employee might be the first step by conversation and reason, because he is clearly the best and would cost much more to be replaced. If such habit puts such an employee into much debt that it is no longer a secret, it would be a worrisome news to the management obviously and could cause such an employee to either be reappointed, transferred, demoted, queried, suspended or ultimately be fired.

Gambling conclusions and the best employees, of course those are two different things, for me of course I will take some professional actions towards these employees.
Action.
* Whose money is used in gambling by the employee.
If he uses company money and steals, of course I will fire the employee, I don't care if he is good or bad.
However, if he uses his own money, I can only give him the best advice. If he continues to gamble without paying attention to my advice, of course I will take the best attitude for the company and employees.

The point is: what is certain is that I will first provide direction and advice to the employee, what is certain is that I will continue to take action for the good of both parties, if he changes it will certainly be safe for him and vice versa.

Oddly enough people who are addicted to something that is primarily a money sink, will need to still have a source of income in order to be able to afford it. They might get left behind in family affairs, friendships etc... But they'll do everything in their power to keep their job. Employers of course sometimes will take advantage of that. Instead of offering them some time off to quit and find peace, they'll keep pressuring such people and if they kick back, just fire them on the spot...

Sadly it's a reality that we keep seeing more and more frequently but I'm hoping that it'll become easier in future if more people around this issue focus on it and demand governments act to help people that are addicted in more realistic terms. Our taxes should go towards helping other people more and gambling addiction is very real. There should be infrastructure to help these people too if they want to quit. It's not always down the the individual human or company. Also worker's rights should be improved so workers can't be fired so easily if they're certifiably addicted. At least they should be entitled to more time off without pay but also not getting fired.

As long as he is doing his job during office hours, I have no problem with him. If he is only gambling outside office hours, why not? But if his gambling is already interrupting his office works, then, I might talk to him and give him options what he really want to do with his job.


I would consider such route of approaching this matter. If he is a top performing employee but has gambling addiction problem, maybe, he also needs help on this matter. If you truly care for the well-being of the employee, you will also assist them in helping themselves especially if he shows willingness to change for the betterment of himself.

In my opinion, when a company does not have any rules that prohibit people with a proven addiction and in the treatment phase or who have not yet been cured and proven that they are cured, they cannot work in the company, so they cannot fire addicted people. Also, concerns about people's private lives should not be dealt with at work. This is in the labor law approved by the governments and when the employee signs a contract with the company, the employee must read the contract and then must respect the company's rules, if the company's rules do not say anything about prohibiting people addicted to gaming. bad luck, so there's no problem with the employee playing games

Now it is necessary to make it very clear that in many companies they prohibit employees from touching phones in the company, this means that employees who are addicted to gambling should not gamble on the job, this could get them fired. Now if I were the owner of a company I would interview people and ask them if they have any addictions and if they do then I would give them time to go and get treatment with a doctor while they are complying with the treatment, they would continue receiving their salary. Even if he was the best employee, I would still temporarily release him from his job to give him space to undergo treatment, because health should always come first.

If you're pro-company then you'd let him stay because qccording to this discussion, he is your best employee and that means he's good for your company. Him being hooked with gambling is a problem of him and not to the company in the first place. What's best is to lead him the best way such as having an in depth talk with him or letting him undergo seminars that could open his eyes on the danger of gambling than to fire him. There will always be a better way to resolve a problem. If that employee matters in your company, it should be an enough reason for you to be patient with him and his behavior. He won't be a good employee in the first place if he's really a bad person. We just have our own weak spots; know his reason why he up to gambling. If it is to earn more, why not offer him a higher salary if he's that worthy of such feat.

Let's say you fired him, who benefit from such action? No one; you just lost your best employee and he lost his source of income. Help each other given how both party needs the counterpart. Gambling addiction is something that could be aided with proper procedures especially professional help therefore giving up on him should not be an option.

Its really bad that you would really be getting involved with someones life and stepping on the things that they've been doing is something that out of their privacy.Just like on what others been saying that as long my employee doesnt really give out any headaches then he would definitely stay on the company without any issues. Its his money or salary after all and you dont have the rights
on how he should gonna make use of it. Addicted or not, we do have our own choices which it isnt really just that limited to gambling itself but also in other things or aspects in life as well.

I wouldnt stop him/her but i would really be making out some advises about on the things he's been doing. Just like on others telling that
if he didnt do something that affects his work then it would really be just that fine.

If I was an employer in a company where I should take care of employees, observing not only their results and work but also their behaviors, being a friend to them would be so helpful for both sides and create a close relationship between us.
So instead of immediately firing the employee who is addicted to gambling I prefer offering support and needed resources for him to fix that addiction. Beside that, I may need to review and update company policies to better support employees facing addiction issues as long as they are serious in their work and not causing hard to others.

Ultimately the decision of firing someone at work should prioritize the well being of the employee while also considering the impact on the company. Terminating a good and valuable employee to us should be a last resort after exploring all available options for support and rehabilitation.

I assumed gambling is something of choice and is something that is personal to anyone that wants to take part in it. If the employers addiction is in no way affecting the company and flow of the business, I won’t have a problem with that otherwise I will have to fire him and get another person that would not joke with the companies goals at the expense of their love for gambling. If we are even in good times and not allowing anything happening to the companies business due to his addiction, I would advise him on his addiction and should know how to control it now, so that it doesn’t get into him too much beyond control or cause him harm in the future.

As long as he (the best employee) always maintains work ethics such as integrity, discipline, responsibility and upholds the value of honesty, I don't have a problem with any activities he carries out outside working hours. I will remind him about Professionalism and Responsibility if his addiction starts to increase, his professionalism and responsibility as an employee are very important to improve the company's integrity and reputation.

Even though he is the best employee, he must ensure that he respects the regulations and rules that apply in the workplace. As long as he is still productive or his gambling addiction does not interfere with his work, I will not immediately take action by firing him. A small warning needs to be taken to prevent unexpected things from happening which could make him become a person who forgets the code of ethics at work.

If indeed I am faced with this, then indeed we must look at other situations whether the addiction can interfere with the work they do and damage our company or not because after all it is also important.

As long as the addiction does not hinder the work they do and does not harm us as employers (companies) then indeed I think it does not matter if we still employ the addict with a note that he will not take actions that harm many people including the company where he is employed and remain professional with the work he does.

But if indeed it has a bad impact then there is indeed no reason for us to keep them addicts as workers because after all we as superiors then surely we do not want to take risks that can have a long-term impact on the company that we manage so why keep someone who will be a problem in the end.

First, point of correction, the poll,  "No" and "I will just ignore" are actually the samething, so, if you can correct that, did be fine.

Now back to the topic being discussed, if like you said, I am an employer and one of my best staffs is gambling addict, I won't fire him or her, and actually, it doesn't make sense to fire the person, what I did do is, if some how, I find out that he or she is a gambling addict, I did take it upon myself to help him or her come out from that addition, he or she is an asset to my company, and have contributed alot to the success and continual progress of my company, to give back, and as a form of appreciation for his effort over the years in my company, I will offer to help him or her come out from gambling addiction, and I will do everything within my power to bring him or her out.

The only reason I will sack such a person is, if it is discovered beyond all reasonable doubt that the employee has been stealing money from my company to fuel his or her gambling activities due to addiction, I will have no choice but to immediately sack such person, for by stealing, he or she has lost both the reward for his hard work and my respect for him or her.

Ok. A gambler doesn't necessarily have moral character issues, so in my opinion he can be a gambler and still remain on the company. The case has to be analyzed individually, though. The manager or boss have to make sure his gambling habits aren't impacting the company negatively through his performance at the job.

I will ignore his personal affairs with gambling, because as you said, he is one of my best employees, therefore I conclude he is being benefical for the business, despite being a heavy gambler. I would just talk to him and advise him regards his gambling routine in order to try helping to not let it go out of control, not only because he is a good employee, but also because he is my friend, so I feel like I have right to talk to him about it.

I would not fire my employee but rather i would really be giving out some piece of advises. Well, its their money so its their full rights on what they should gonna do but as a boss then it wont really be that bad for you to give out at least some piece of advises on which it might be that something that could change them up. I wont fire him as long there would be no violations and still that he's doing his job well.
Somewhat you would really be trying out to be careful on giving him some tasks that involves huge money on which we know that once you do become an addict then there's a tendency about having those kind of issues when it comes to potential spending of those funds on being not authorize. Somehow we cant make out those kind of conclusions but its always better to be advanced rather than on late.

If that person does not have position which is somehow related to the management of money, then I don't see why it would be a option to fire them as soon as possible in the spot. I would try to give a warning before even considering to take any further actions, to be honest.

Also, I would like to point out how unlikely this situation is from happening in the real world, usually people who are addicted to gambling or have problems with their gambling management do not perform well enough at their jobs and other places of their routine. It would take someone to be specially organized and with a powerful willpower to manage to get somich two incompatible things together and at the same time.