No business, regardless of size or location, is immune to the problems that alcohol and chemical dependency can cause. Are you aware that...
76.4 percent of illicit drug users in 2001 were employed either full or part time 1,
Alcohol and other drug users are far less productive, use three times as many sick days, are more likely to injure themselves or someone else, are five times more likely to file workers' compensation claims 2, and
Alcohol and chemical dependency has been estimated to cost American businesses roughly $81 billion in lost productivity in just one year -- $37 billion due to premature death and $44 billion due to illness?
Everyone involved in running a business -- both employers and employees -- suffers when there is workplace alcohol and drug abuse. Some costs are obvious, such as increased absences, accidents and errors. Others, such as low morale and high illness rates, are less so, but the effects are equally harmful.
The Comprehensive Assessment Treatment Outcomes Registry Data in Ohio have documented dramatic results in decreasing occupational problems, including the following reductions after drug and alchohol treatment;
Absenteeism decreased by 89%,
Tardiness decreased by 92%,
Problems with supervisors decreased by 56%,
Mistakes in work decreased by 70%, and
Incomplete work decreased by 81%.
When it comes to workplace substance abuse, small businesses have disadvantages. They are less likely to have programs in place to combat the problem, yet they are more likely to be the "employer-of-choice" for illicit drug users. Individuals who can't adhere to a drug-free workplace policy seek employment at firms that don't have one, and the cost of just one error caused by an impaired employee can devastate a small company. Employed drug abusers cost their employers about twice as much in medical and worker compensation claims as their drug-free coworkers. 3
We would like to be a resource for your organization when dealing with alcohol and chemical dependency issues in the workplace. Services DAAC offers to local businesses such as your own include:
Training for employees, HR and other managerial staff on topics such as how to recognize indicators of substance abuse in the workplace, issues surrounding alcohol and chemical dependency and how to appropriately handle a situation involving on-the-job use,
Affordably priced urinalysis testing for pre-employment screening or existing employees, geared to the needs of your organization, and,
Referrals to local, knowledgeable employment attorneys who will work with your organization to develop an enforceable drug and alcohol policy.
We want to demystify alcohol and drug use in the workplace, and assist you in creating a safer and more productive work environment for your employees. Please call Michael Spielman, Executive Director, at (707) 571-2233 ext 308 for more information.
1 US Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2002, September 4). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse:Volume 1. Summary of National Findings.
2 Making Prevention Work, US Department of Health & Human Services, 1996.
3 US Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002, September 24). NIDA InfoFacts:Workplace Trends. Washington, DC.
