Addiction in the Workplace: How to Help an Employee

How can employers and co-workers help an employee suffering from addiction in the workplace? Each year, addiction costs American businesses an estimated $276 billion. Beyond the financial impact, accidents and fatalities produce tragic consequences. In fact, one out of ten employees has a substance use disorder (SUD) in their lifetime.

As the SUD epidemic spreads, businesses experience low productivity, low employee morale, increase in health care costs, absenteeism, injuries and fatalities. The U.S. Department of Labor reports more than 500 million workdays are lost to addiction annually. However, there are practical steps and solutions available to help employers confront and reduce the significant impact of addiction in the workplace.

Defining Addiction

First, it is essential for employers and employees to understand that addiction to drugs and alcohol, clinically known as substance use disorder (SUD), is a treatable brain disease, characterized by a progressive and problematic pattern of substance use leading to significant impairment.

Supporting the effort to define SUD and offer solutions, the Office of the Surgeon General of the United Stated released a landmark report on the country’s addiction epidemic in 2017, “Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health.” The report findings are expansive, significant and full of hope for all those affected by this major public health challenge, including employers and their employees.

Perhaps the most important finding of the report identifies addiction as “a chronic neurological disorder” that must be recognized and included in the healthcare system, requiring clinical treatment and ongoing supportive care.

Another key piece of the report provides considerable evidence showing that prevention, treatment, and recovery policies and programs really do work. It confirms that high quality, accessible treatment programs, such as those provided by Valley Hope, can significantly reduce the effects of SUD on workplaces and help employees find productive recovery.

Defeating Stigma

Often people living with addiction will avoid reaching out to their employer, fearing they will lose their job. This deadly decision is the result of the stigma of addiction. Stigma prevents millions of employees from seeking treatment for their SUD. Although addiction is a chronic brain disease that requires treatment, the stigma fosters fear of reaching out for help, ultimately costing lives.

“No physical or psychiatric condition is more associated with social disapproval and discrimination than substance dependence,” according to the Drug Policy Alliance. “Stigma is a major factor preventing individuals from seeking and completing addiction treatment.”

Changing attitudes and misconceptions about addiction in the workplace and among management can significantly reduce the dangerous stigma that prevents co-workers from reaching out for help.

Warning Signs of Addiction

What are the symptoms of addiction? There are several warning signs that can indicate an employee may be suffering with an SUD, including:

• Bloodshot
  eyes, pupils larger or smaller than usual.
• Changes
  in productivity, attitude and focus.
• Increase
  in absenteeism and late arrivals.
• Sudden
  weight loss or weight gain.
• Deterioration
  of physical appearance, personal grooming habits.
• Unusual
  smells on breath, body, or clothing.
• Tremors,
  slurred speech, or impaired coordination.

Developing Policies, Procedures and EAPs

It is essential for company leadership to learn and understand HR/workplace policies, insurance benefits, privacy laws and employee guidelines and rights such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

To help ease navigating legal, benefits and policy burdens, more and more employers are providing Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). EAPs are cost-effective tools to mitigate these risks. EAPs can help employers reduce absences, workers’ compensation claims, health care costs, accidents and grievances. In addition, they can address safety and security issues, improve employee productivity and engagement and reduce costs related to employee turnover. 

Although EAPs provide referrals, resources and counsel for employees and their families on a breadth of issues and concerns, the EAP system was founded to find successful treatment for addiction through thoughtful assessments, informed referrals and ongoing support.

To provide the best quality care available for employees and all patients, Valley Hope works with countless EAPs across the country. From local businesses and community organizations to large corporations, EAPs have become efficient, effective tools for helping employees receiving effective treatment for addiction, managing the processes and communications, working with insurance providers and relieving management from oversight of an employee’s treatment process.

Reducing employee SUD can help employers decrease health care costs, reduce workplace injuries and improve productivity. Services such as EAPs can help assess, refer and manage employee SUD treatment and any needs to support their recovery.

Ongoing Treatment and Recovery

When the employee completes initial treatment, it is critical that they return to a supportive work environment. Ideally, an employee who has participated in and finished treatment programs return to the workplace sober and “in recovery.”

Remember, recovery is an ongoing process where the employee continues to work a program outside of treatment, such as attending Twelve Step meetings, outpatient therapy or other continuing care programs. Ongoing participation in a recovery program is essential to long-term sobriety. At Valley Hope, our team works with each patient (and employers when appropriate) to build a successful long-term recovery plan that serves as a road map after leaving treatment.

Explore Valley Hope’s blog for more information on stigma and addiction in the workplace, EAPs, and for extensive resources and information for loved ones, families and the recovery community.

Do you need information on other recovery subjects? If you have a related topic you would like covered, please submit your ideas to [email protected].

If you feel like you need help immediately, the Valley Hope team is available 24/7 at (800) 544-5101. If you or a loved one are ready to stop drinking, call now and begin your journey to a healthy, happy life in recovery.