It has been estimated that 1 in 10 employees in this country’s workforce has a substance abuse problem. Since April is Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s a good time to give a training session on alcohol and drugs in the workplace.
Remind your employees that the personal impact of substance abuse on an employee can be devastating. It has a destructive effect on just about every part of a person’s life. The substance abuser may end up losing everything, including family, home, friends, savings, job, and physical and mental health.
On the job, the negative fallout of substance abuse includes a steady deterioration of work performance, unreliability, and recklessness that can jeopardize the safety of co-workers, the integrity of company products and services, and the company’s reputation.
Ask your employees to consider what kinds of problems alcohol and drug abuse could cause in your workplace. For example, which jobs in your workplace require good judgment, coordination, alertness, and other skills that could be impaired by substance abuse?
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Emphasize that workplace substance abuse is not only a large and costly problem but also an issue covered by an important federal law, the Drug-Free Workplace Act, which Congress passed in 1988 to help combat this growing problem. If your organization is covered by the Drug-Free Workplace Act, give employees this overview:
- This Act requires companies that are federal contractors or grantees to have—and to distribute to all employees—a written policy explaining the rules against drugs in the workplace. The policy must state that employees can’t use, distribute, sell, or make drugs at work.
- The law also requires your organization to have a drug awareness program to warn employees about the dangers of drug use, particularly at work.
- Employees convicted of criminally violating drug-free workplace rules must report the conviction to the company within 5 days. The company has 10 days to report the conviction to the government. The company then has 30 days to take appropriate action, which may take the form of discipline—up to and including discharge. Or, a company can help the employee get into a government-approved rehabilitation program. The employee must complete the rehabilitation steps agreed on or risk losing his or her job.
In any case, give your employees the specifics of your substance abuse policy. Our policy:
- Prohibits the possession, use, or sale of drugs or alcohol on company premises;
- Forbids working under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
- Provides assistance for employees who want help for an abuse problem; and
- Imposes discipline on those who refuse help and continue to abuse drugs or alcohol on the job.
Make sure employees understand your organization’s substance abuse policy, including the procedure for Employee Assistance Programs or outside referrals.
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Why It Matters
- Surveys show that substance abuse is one of the most serious issues currently facing American companies.
- It is estimated that 10 percent of all U.S. workers have a substance abuse problem. In fact, the number is probably much higher.
- Some 73 percent of all current illicit drug users aged 18 and older are employed. Over 6 million active alcoholics are on the payrolls of American businesses.
- Finally, alcoholism and drug abuse have been called "democratic diseases" because they can victimize anyone regardless of age, sex, education, social status, or occupation.