Substance Abuse At The Workplace
Abuse of drugs and alcohol is becoming a growing concern in today’s time. The effects of which are not just limited to creating havoc in one’s ‘personal’ life. The web of addiction slowly and steadily tends to spread in different quarters of a person’s life, be it work, relationships or recreation.
Use of alcohol and drugs is definitely on the rise, with the age of onset being as low as 12 or 13 years. By the time, we step into the world of corporate life and its demands; we could be completely dependent on one form of substance or another without realizing the effects of it on our occupational life.
The problem of addiction has profound negative effects on the workplace. There are issues related to, but not limited, increased absenteeism, loss of productivity, efficiency, increased incidents of accidents, injuries, and increased medical costs. The suffering parties are both, the employer and the employee.
Accessibility of alcohol and some drugs, especially like marijuana and prescription medicines is so common that it is extremely easy to get dependent on them, hence, that much more difficult to break out of it. Those dependent on it are seen to struggle with it on a daily basis. While employees may manage coming to work, their work efficiency might be seriously compromised. Recovering from a hangover could lead to slowness in job performance, sloppiness or negligence. They may have difficulty concentrating on work due to poor attention span, increased distractibility and/or sleepiness. Mood swings are seen to be a major problem area where they could either become aggressive in the office with colleagues and run into disciplinary complaints or alienate themselves. Poor tolerance to stress, resulting in irritability or anger outbursts on peers, clients or seniors could impact the office environment for everyone. Sometimes, it can affect the morale of the other employees which can prove expensive to the organization at large. Managers may have difficulty comprehending the issue at hand and feel at a loss in their attempts to help. This can be frustrating and upsetting for them.
A bigger worry is always how one user could instigate another into the drug habit. Alcohol, being socially more acceptable, is even more dangerous. Studies have shown how the work culture plays a major role in encouraging and accepting or discouraging and inhibiting such habits. Male dominated work industries such as those related to repairs, maintenance, food and beverage, often create a heavy drinking culture as collective drinking promotes the idea of solidarity and team spirit.
Nature of work might also contribute to the incidence of addiction. Work that is not challenging or stimulating enough may leave a person feeling bored and uninspired. This could push the person into doing drugs as a way to seek excitement or thrill or simply kill time. At other times, it is the stress of a high-pressure job that makes someone gravitate towards drugs, as a way to de-stress.
Given the scale of problems associated with substance abuse, providing treatment becomes absolutely necessary. While termination is always an easy option, it is not always considered wise to do so as it may mean losing high rank or high performing employees who are unable to get out of the menace on their own. Providing help options instead create an image of care and empathy towards the employees. This builds good will and an attitude of giving back to the company in the mind of its employees.
Spreading awareness through wellness programs is a great place to begin with. Regular sessions that focus on educating workers about psychosocial aspects of substance abuse and informing them about sources of help can often become the ray of hope that someone could be looking for. Workshops and training sessions for managers who can be taught on how to handle such problems in a sensitive and empathetic manner, the do’s and don’ts of it, common signs and symptoms to look out for, also proves effective as they can be the first point of contact to suggest help.
Many companies offer employee assistance in the form of having an in house counselor or an offsite counselor who can help them with psychological problems that might be affecting their occupational and interpersonal life. This provides them with a safe environment where confidentiality is assured and they can discuss issues ranging from marital concerns to health or mental illness.
While the company can install these benefits for their employees, we must remember that help/treatment cannot be forced. However, for the employees to know that their organization is taking that extra step forward, shows that their well - being matters to them and this perception of care and understanding can go a long way to build trust and a strong professional relationship.
