Employers Need to Learn How to Spot Substance Abuse on the Job, Advises Narconon Spokesperson

Employers Need to Learn How to Spot Substance Abuse on the Job, Advises Narconon Spokesperson.

Employers can help those employees who abuse drugs or alcohol on the job by detecting the problem and directing that employee to a drug or alcohol treatment program.

Contrary to what many people think, more than three-quarters of those addicted to drugs and alcohol are employed. This means that many people in our workforce are working at less than their full capability, impairing their job performance and impairing as well the viability of their employers, not to mention their future prospects.

Labor surveys show that twenty percent of the workforce uses drugs every day. Unfortunately for both the employer and employee, this situation can exist for years before it’s detected.

“Substance abuse on the job results in higher workers’ compensation claims, more absenteeism, lower productivity, and damage to property,” points out Bobby Wiggins, Narconon Drug Education Director. In fact, the National Council on Compensation Insurance reported that as much as 50 percent of workers’ compensation claims involve substance abuse. Medical insurance rates are also adversely affected by the presence of addicted employees.

If employers learn how to detect substance abuse among their employers, they can save themselves the cost of the problems created by addiction and what’s far more important, can help save the addict’s life.

There are many ways an employer can zero in on an employee with a substance abuse problem. However, the same patterns can emerge when there are other problems in one’s personal life. If an employer has a drug testing policy in place before it is needed, then the employer can confirm their suspicions or eliminate them, when the signs are seen.

These signs include:

• Inconsistent work quality or pace
• Trouble concentrating
• Unusual fatigue
• Missed deadlines
• Errors in judgment or work quality
• Inability to follow complex instructions
• Increased numbers of mistakes
• Increased absenteeism
• Excessive sick leave
• Frequently leaving work early
• Patterns of absenteeism that usually fall after weekends or holidays or follow paydays
• Longer coffee breaks that usual
• Long periods spent on the phone
• Deterioration of appearance and grooming
• Borrowing money from co-workers
• Violent or depressed behavior

One recruitment company estimated that the national cost of workplace substance abuse totals $75 billion per year.

Employers do their staff a great service when they detect workplace substance abuse and direct that employee to a drug or alcohol treatment program. It can be a whole new start for the person who needs help and doesn’t know how to ask,”

The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program returns sober employees to the workforce in forty countries around the world. Seven out of ten Narconon graduates stay clean and sober after they get home and back to work. For more information on Narconon, visit www.narconon.org