Nobody deliberately sets out with the intention of drink driving. Instead, it is something that often happens by accident, especially when you are too intoxicated to realize the state that you’re in.
Drink driving, though, is a serious offense that often winds up in court. DUI suspension may include things like a driving ban for six to twelve months and being sent to “DUI school.”
Worse still, it can affect other areas of your life, including your career.
In this post, we’re going to answer some of the common questions people have about their jobs when they receive a drink driving conviction. Here’s how it works.
Do You Have To Inform Your Employer About DUI Convictions?
Whether or not you have to tell your employer about DUI convictions depends on the contract you signed when you joined the firm.
Clearly, if your job involves driving in some way, you’ll have to come clean about what’s happened. Your employer may then place you on leave or ask you to return when you are legally allowed to drive again. They may decide that, based on your behavior, they don’t want you anymore.
If your job doesn’t require driving, then you will need to consult your employee handbook – a list of rules and procedures for every eventuality. Sometimes these will ask you to disclose criminal convictions, but occasionally, they won’t.
Can You Lose Your Job?
Whether you lose your job after a drink driving conviction depends on your work. Anyone who drives a vehicle will face the sack. Other employers, however, might take a different view, allowing you to remain in your position, so long as the conviction does not hamper your capacity to work.
Do You Have To Leave Professional Bodies?
Professional bodies like to ensure that their members abide by high standards. Accountants, lawyers, and contractors all try to establish collective ethics that make them more attractive to customers. Sometimes, therefore, they will cast you out (often temporarily) if you have a conviction to maintain their brand and good name. If you are in training, they may also deny you access to the professional body.
Typically, though, they do this on a case by case basis. It very much depends on the type of crime you committed and the person in charge of making the decisions. Not all membership policies are explicit about how they should treat convicted applicants.
Will You Lose Your License?
Many people require a driving license to fulfill their career ambitions. If nothing else, they need to get to work.
The authorities consider DUIs a serious offense and will usually take your license to drive away if convicted.
However, there are circumstances where the courts may show leniency, especially for a first offense. If, for instance, you are the only person in your family who can drive, they may agree to allow you to collect groceries at certain times of day when you are least likely to drink.
Drink driving, therefore, can affect your career in several ways. Ideally, you want to avoid it. It can take a long time to get back on track.
