Alcohol Prescription drugs Marijuana Cocaine Methamphetamine Heroin
10 % of our agency employees have a
substance use disorders
77.4 % of all substance abusers are
employed. Over 6 million alcoholics are on American business payrolls.
Anyone can have a substance use disorder.
It’s non-discriminatory and can victimize any one regardless of age, sex, education, social status or occupation.
Substance abuse in the workplace costs
American employers $28 billion per year
Decreased productivity
Increased Time Loss 3x’s
More worker’s compensation claims by 5x’s
More occupational accidents by 3x’s
◦ 47% of all occupational accidents can be attributed to substance abuse.
Substance abusers have higher job turnover
rates 12.3 % SA had 3+jobs past year.
The average cost to agencies for a turnover is
one year’s salary plus benefits up to as much as two years salary per employee
Substance abuse also leads to theft and crime
costing agencies/co-workers losses and risk of danger
1. Written policy stating employees can’t use, distribute, sell or making drugs at work.
2. Provide drug awareness program warning
about dangers of drug use at work
3. Administer disciplinary action within 30 days or help employee get into treatment
4. Report employee conviction of criminally
violating drug-free workplace rules to the government within 10 days
5. Terminate employment if employee fails to
1. Report personal convictions of criminally violating drug-free workplace rules to
agency within 5 days.
2. Complete treatment steps agreed upon
or risk losing job.
General duty clause requires employers to
provide employees with a workplace
“free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm”
Persons Addicted to Drugs Who Are No
Longer Using Substances And Are Receiving Treatment for Addiction OR Who Have Been Rehabilitated are Protected by the ADA from Discrimination on the Basis of Past Addiction. In this Context Alcohol is Considered a Drug.
Also
Individuals Who are Erroneously Perceived as
Being an Addict/Alcoholic or Are Protected by the ADA.
• Any person directly involved in an intervention with a substance abusers
need to understand that any information about the problem is privileged and must be kept private.
Employee privacy laws require managers to keep any discussions with or
about an employee suspected of having a drug or alcohol problem strictly confidential.
A manager can only discuss the issue with their manager or others
in the organization with a need to know.
consent for release of information is required for healthcare professionals
involved with the employee to discuss progress or concerns with the employer. All persons in the know about an employee’s substance use disorder are committed to confidentiality.
An employee who needs help will agree to get it if confidentiality is assured. It will also be easier for the rehabilitated employee to return to work,
Abuse is not typically obvious unless an
incident or accident occurs
Substance Abusers try to hide their problem
Co-workers may be reluctant to speak up
Family and friends may be involved in
Most substance abusers tend to display classic problems and symptoms over time in the
workplace. Beware the signs to be described may not necessarily mean that an employee has a
substance abuse problem, they could indicate other personal problems that are affecting
performance. When evaluating a situation, you must look at the total picture. Do you see more than one of these signs? Have several instances occurred over a period of time?
Extreme changes in mood or unstable mood
(crying after coffee, lunch or bathroom breaks). Start of shift with euphoric mood that
disintegrates over course of day. Agitation, distress or depressed mood reversals after breaks.
Excessive trips to the restroom.
Fluctuations in productivity throughout a
day. Alcohol causes decreased productivity after ingestion. Stimulant use may cause a noticeable increase in productivity,
concentration, mood and energy followed by agitation and inability to focus, sloppy or unfinished work as it wears off.
Eyes: bloodshot or droopy eyes and constricted
or dilated pupils can indicate use and withdrawal symptoms. Stimulants / Alcohol cause dilation (eyes look totally black). Heroin causes
constriction (pupils look like pin dots).
Smell of Alcohol or Drugs. Heavy use of
perfume, breath mints or mouthwash to cover marijuana or alcohol odor. Beware that fruity alcohol like breath odor should be treated
Decline in personal appearance. Poor personal
hygiene. Excessive sweating. Intravenous drug users often wear long sleeves when the weather does not warrant it to cover marks or bruises from use. Noticeable weight loss/gain.
Decreased confidence, increased dependence
on others at work to complete tasks, increased anxiety in work setting and or increased
complaints regarding personal problems at home.
Accelerated rates of absenteeism and tardiness,
especially on Mondays and Fridays or after pay days. Unreported absences. Frequent use of
unscheduled leave. Unexplained disappearances. Long lunches. Lost concept of time. Coming to work late and leaving early
Financial difficulties, wage garnishes, attempts to
borrow money from co-workers. Theft of property belonging to other employees or agency.
Suspiciousness, overreaction to real or
imagined criticism. Complaints about
others, being overly argumentative. Violent behavior.
Repeated job transfer requests.
Withdrawn behavior and or avoidance of
supervisors.
Inappropriately talkative and or overly
exaggerated sense of self importance. Excessive amounts of time on the
Higher than average accident rate on and
off the job. Taking unnecessary risks and disregard for safety of others.
Difficulty in recalling instructions, missed
deadlines or incomplete assignments.
Staggering, unsteady gait. Sleeping or
dozing off while working. Poor Coordination, slurred speech.
Complaints by co-workers on any of the
Employee:
Know and follow company policy about
substance abuse in the workplace.
Seek treatment and ask for
accommodations if needed.
Meet performance standards on the job.
Co-worker:
Report employee performance problems
and substance abuse in the workplace so that supervisor’s can intervene to create a safe and productive work environment.
Mangers:
Do not need to be experts in substance
abuse because interventions are focused on job performance or a policy violation.
Know the agency Policy and share that
information with staff
Monitor and document employee
performance issues.
Intervene with employees suspected of a
Managers (continued):
Refer employees who report substance use
causing work performance problem for
professional treatment. Never diagnose or provide treatment personally for an
employee’s substance use disorder.
Ask employees if accommodations are
needed when they report having a
substance use disorder and keep a record of your supporting actions and
recommendations.
Administer appropriate discipline to ensure
A Supervisor does not need to be an expert on alcohol and drug
abuse to intervene with an employee suspected of an alcohol or drug problem because interventions should be focused on the employee’s performance problems. Observe Document and Address Specific
problems with work performance and on-the-job-behaviors. EMPLOYEE VIOLATING DRUG FREE WORK PLACE POLICY:
Document observations and avoid stating opinions or diagnosis.
Example “John Doe arrived at work late on 8/5/13. His hands were shaky; he had bloodshot eyes and was experiencing difficulty
walking”.
In this example have another supervisor observe and document
observations in support of yours and notify the Executive Director who can request work capacity testing and or make termination of employment decisions. Explain the agency’s Drug Free workplace P&P. Document employee’s response to question “Are you going to request an evaluation and treatment?”
EMPLOYEE SUSPECTED OF A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER:
When documenting changes in performance related to a suspected
substance use disorder be specific such as “Upon examination of John Doe’s work 1/5/13 through 8/5/13 I found an attendance decline with late arrival 12 Monday in a row and 6 non-scheduled PTO days following paydays in that time period”.
When meeting with the employee cite specific incidents to the
employee in a businesslike tone. Be clear and firm. Maintain control by sticking to the facts as they affect work performance. Do not rely on memory by having all supporting documents and records
available. Explain the company policy concerning performance. Make specific requests for improvements with a clearly stated
consequence for failure. Explain consequences if performance
expectations are not met. Offer help in resolving work performance problems. If an employee becomes angry or hostile end the
EMPLOYEE ADMITTING ALCOHOL DRUG PROBLEM:
If an employee reports that serious work
performance problems are related to a substance
abuse problem, explain the agency’s drug free work place policy. Assure them that the disclosure will be treated confidentially. Present the employee with the choice between disciplinary action and completing
assessment/treatment. Document the employee response. Encourage the employee to consult the Employee Assistance Program for referral to a
Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment Program. Be supportive, but avoid personal involvement.
EMPLOYEE DISCLOSING PARTICIPATION IN TREATMENT OR HISTORY OF REHABILITATION FOR A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER:
Realize they have just reported a ADA protected disability condition and document their
response to question “Do you need any special accommodations?” TYPES OF ACCOMMIDATIONS:
For Treatment: Allow use of paid or unpaid leave for inpatient medical treatment. Allow use
of paid or unpaid leave or flexible scheduling for outpatient counseling or to attend support meetings.
For Difficulty Handling Stress: Provide praise and positive reinforcement. Refer to
counseling and employee assistance programs. Allow modified daily schedule. Allow
frequent breaks. Provide a self-paced workload. Modify supervisory methods. Reassign to a less stressful job.
For Fatigue: Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress. Schedule periodic
rest breaks away from the workstation. Allow a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave time. Allow work from home. Implement ergonomic workstation design.
For Maintaining Concentration: Reduce distractions in the workspace. Provide space
enclosures or a private office. Make a Plan for more frequent breaks. Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps. Restructure job to include only essential functions.
For exposure to medications in the workplace: Provide extra supervision. Reassign to a
Documenting performance problems
Recording on-the-job incidents
Recognizing patterns of behavior
Keeping a record of supporting actions
For more information about the drug-free
workplace programs visit
http://www.drugabuse.gov/index.html
SAMHSA offers a helpline 1-800-Workplace
(1-800-967-5752), for employees and
businesses dealing with problems related to substance abuse.
National Drug-Free workplace week is
Cascade Mental Health Care P.O. Box 1445
Chehalis WA 98532
1(360)748-6696 X 2255
