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Discuss substance abuse on the job in terms of symptoms, effects on performance, effects
on workplace safety, and ameliorative actions.

Presented to,
Perry Barton

Team Project, 41930

By Brittany Prince
February 23, 2015

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People have been substance abusers for decades. Substance abuse after a while
turns into what you call Drug Dependence. This is when the person that is abusing
cannot stop the urge to want more and more of the substance thats being taken. Once a
person has started to abuse it is hard to get them out of that place they feel safe in
through the drugs/alcohol. When abusers start having withdrawals, they begin to loose
control when using more than their body can handle, they begin to let the drugs take up
time, energy, and focus, and although they know that the drugs are causing problems
with their body and their lives they continue to use. Once this abuse crosses over into the
lives of your family and affects your ability to work then destruction is sure to follow.
Abusers almost never just abuse at home and almost always bring their habits into the
workplace. They dont think about the consequences that follow after being caught at
work intoxicated. For the most part people know how to carry themselves when under
the influence because they have done it for so long that they are use to it. These are the
abusers that never get caught because some abusers dont abuse to actually hurt
themselves in the long run. They are abusers but arent considered abusers because they
handle themselves accordingly. The ones that dont know how to handle themselves are
the ones that get caught and most of the time those are the ones that are actually going
through problems and issues at work and think that drug/alcohol is a way to solve what
they are going through.
Working for a company requires rules and regulations that must be followed at
all times. These rules and regulations are designed for the progression of the company
and the safety of the company as well. One of the main rules and biggest concerns of a
company is substance abuse while on the job. Some individuals feel that it is ok to drink
alcohol or take any kind of drugs right before or during work hours. This is not ok and I
will break down the reasons why people may feel it is and why it should be stopped
immediately. Substance abuse has been going on in the workplace for many years now.
Overtime companies had to enforce drug test before getting hired and random drug test
after getting hired because there have been so many problems for the company. You
must have written rules in the handbook at work that there will be random drug test and
you should probably have all workers that get hired in to sign a consent form saying that
they are aware that this could possibly happen. If any potential candidate does not want
to sign then they shouldnt be hired for the job anyways because that is telling you that
they do not want to stop abusing and dont wont to get catch for it either.
For the most part some abusers do not know or understand that they are actually
abusers. They feel that it is ok to have a couple drinks everyday throughout the day. This
is not ok for many of reasons. One reason being that consuming alcohol and drugs is not
healthy. Some people feel that work is

stressful and that their lives in general are stressful and think that drugs and alcohol
takes the edge off when they have reached a point of exploding or breaking down. This

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only makes the problem worse and creates a pattern that will hurt them in the long run.
Once an abuser gets to the point of wanting to drink or take drugs while before work,
during, work, or after work, there has a become a serious problem.
Supervisors play a major part in the prevention of substances abusers. They
should monitor the employees day-to-day by setting work schedules and approving or
disapproving work requests. Assigning, Monitoring, Reviewing, and Appraising work
performance is another way supervisors can determine whether or not a problem with
abuse is starting. In some cases, you may not know that there is an alcohol problem with
your employee. In other cases, you may very well know, either because the employee
accidently admits to being an alcoholic, or the problem is self-evident. For example, an
employee may become intoxicated while on duty or be arrested for drunk driving. The
role of the supervisor is not to diagnose the alcohol problem but to exercise
responsibility in dealing with the performance or conduct problem, hold the employee
accountable, refer the employee to the Employee Assistance Program, and take any
appropriate disciplinary action. Dealing with alcoholism in the workplace is crucial. The
most effective way to get an alcoholic to deal with the problem is to make the alcoholic
aware that his or her job is on the line and that he or she must get help and improve
performance and conduct, or face serious consequences, including the possibility of
losing his or her job. If the supervisor is not stern then it will be very hard to wing out
the employees with these problems.
There are ways that not only supervisors but also co-workers need to be aware of
when dealing with an abuser and this is to not be an enabler. An enabler is the person
who knows that the employee has a problem but tries to help the abuser hide it. Often
times the enabler thinks that he or she is being kind and generous by helping the abuser
when he or she is really hurting the abuser by encouraging self-destruction. Examples of
the enabler consists of lending the employee money, adjusting the employees work
schedule when he or she is late, shifting the employees work to other employees,
allowing the employees spouse instead of the actual employee to call out for him or her,
trying to counsel the employee or your own, covering up for the employee, making
excuse to other co-workers for the behavior and performance of the abuser and last, not
referring the employee to get help from somebody.
Substance abuse starts from the use of alcohol and drugs becoming so crucial to
a person to the point were they dont have the strength to stop using. For the most part
substance abuse is something that starts at home. That person maybe be going through
family issues, stress, neglect, depression, and because the relief of the alcohol or drugs
may feel so good to that person that they bring it into their work lives as well. The
Department of Labor revealed that a large majority of substance abusers are employed
and their performance almost always has a negative impact of the company. The
company has to protect their name

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and reputation at all times and cannot do so if the employees arent

representing as well. The employees impact the company far more than he or she may
know. When abusing the abuser may neither start off with nor impacts but they can soon
turn into huge impacts. These impacts start with minor injuries, to major injuries, the
increase of health insurance claims and lost of productivity. Other problems that can
affect the company when dealing with these abusers are decreased performance,
impaired group efficiency, costs, and hazards.
The appearance of being under the influence may include the smell of alcohol,
staggering, or an unsteady gait, bloodshot eyes, smell or substance on the breath, mood
and behavior changes like excessive laughter and inappropriate loud talk, sleeping on
duty, avoidance of the supervisors and managers, and lastly the excessive use of mouth
wash, gum, and breath mints every other second to kill the smell off. The appearance can
also show within the way their clothes are out together, especially if you know the way
that person is use to dressing and keeping themselves up.
Decreased performance when dealing with an abuser is almost always easy to
spot out. It starts with a pattern of having frequent tardiness, excessive use of sick
leaves, unexplained or unauthorized absences from work, patterns of absences after
paydays, and frequent emergencies, like car troubles and family emergencies which
are the two main excuses. Sometimes the abuser is so hung over that they cant even get
the strength to come in or they just simply choose to stay home. While at work they tend
to show lack of motivation and lack of attention to detail. The abuser continues this
cycle for a while until an employee, manager, or any other higher authority catches on to
this decreased job satisfaction. Decreased satisfaction can result in the abuser being put
on suspension, getting random drug tested on the spot and possibly losing his/her job.
This can impact their ability to pay bills and keep a roof or their heads or their familys
heads. Thats why it is very important to think about the consequences before your
actions get the best of you. Abusers dont often think about the fact that they can loose
so much by abusing at work.
Impaired Group Efficiency is when more than one abuser is assigned to work in a
group to get work related jobs done. Working in groups can result in poor
communication, increased levels of stress for those who have to work with you, and
after a while the stress gained by the non-abusers that have to work with those abusers
will become colleague resentment. Cost is a huge issue when dealing with abusers
because the put a financial burden on the employers. These costs include employee theft,
compensation costs, disability coverage, and the fact that most abuser change their jobs a
lot means that there will be an additional costs to replace that employee. Lastly, Hazards
while dealing with abusers is never safe. According to the United States Department of
Labor between 10 and 20 percent of workers in the U.S. who died at work tested
positive for alcohol or drugs. When someone dies at the job it makes the company look
bad. It doesnt even have to be the companys fault but the fact is it doesnt look good to
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employed with a company that has deaths on the job. This can push future applicants
away and make employees that work there wont to leave.

Abusers tend to mess up the relationships theyve built at work because the
relationships may become strained, the employee my change up on everyone and
become a loner, and the employee may be belligerent, argumentative, or short tempered,
especially in the morning times. It is important to keep relationships at work close so
that everyone stays on the same page for the tasks at work and if someone is falling
behind they wont mind helping out the best they can because they have a good
relationship with that person. If someone is not willing to build relationships with their
employee on top of other signs like appearance and performance problems then the next
step is very simple. The person should be enrolled in the EAP Program. This programs
deals with all kinds of problems and provides counseling, assessment, and referrals for
those with alcohol and drug abuse problems. The EAP service is confidential and staffed
with the best and most concerned counselors needed to diagnose the problem and help
come up with a solution. Sometimes these counselors may feel that you need more help
then just confiding in them so they will refer you to get treatments with permission of
the client of course.
If this abuser agrees to treatment the EAP counselor will refer you to someone
else that can help but they will keep a close eye out on your progression to get better.
One technique that can be used to confront the employee is called intervention. It
generally consists of scheduling a session with the employee where a number of people
significant in his or her life are present, including the spouse, children, clergy, other
family members, co-workers and other friends. A trained professional, such as the EAP
counselor, must lead the session. It involves having each of the individuals present
directly tell the employee how his or her drinking has affected their lives and what the
consequences of that employees drinking has done to his or her life so far. If the
intervention is effective, this can be a very powerful tool to counter denial and may help
the employee consider treatment or even wanting to stop abusing for good. It is
extremely important that such an intervention be led by a trained professional and not by
any person, because it can be a very emotional and powerful event and, if not conducted
properly, may very likely backfire. Supervisors should contact an agency EAP counselor
for more information about the intervention technique. This will ensure that they are
conducting the intervention in the right manner so that a change can come from it.
During EAP Program and treatment the employee is not allowed to work. He or
she will be placed on approved sick leave without pay. In order for the employee to
return to work the treatment must be completed and approved through a conference from
the supervisor, one manager, the EAP counselor, and one or two co-workers to ensure
that they see a change in this employee. After the employee returns to work, there will
be some type of follow-up such as a 12-Step program or other group meetings, therapy,
EAP sessions, or any

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combination of the foregoing. These sessions should cause only minimal disruption to
the work schedule. The EAP counselor can explain the importance of the follow-up

program to the employees continued sobriety. Also upon return the employee should be
given a contract that states if the reappearance of any abuse period is to show that he or
she will be terminated for good. This termination may follow you at any other job that
you try to pursue. A supervisor can suggest that you never work for certain jobs again
being that you cannot handle yourself accordingly. No one wants to deal with a person
that isnt going to bring nothing but negativity to their workplace, especially if drugs
were the reason you were terminated. The things you do in life follow you and you have
to be aware that that goes for the workplace as well. There will be companies willing to
give an abuser a second chance depending on their degrees and skills but I think that if
caught again with abusing at another company that will mess up that person chance to
work anywhere else.
There is also a Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 consist of six different rules. The
first rule is too give the employees a clear statement that specifics what substances will
be prohibited. The Act must be clear about the consequences of violating the policy as
well as the process of determining the actions to respond to that violation. The second
rule is to establish a drug free awareness program. This program is something that
everyone must attend at least once. Company personnel may accomplish this through the
use of discussion groups about the companys policy and its provisions and through the
communication of available health benefits for substance abuse treatment. The third rule
is that the employers may want to include their written policy, the rules that the
employee must follow and the conviction if notified. Rule four is the same as three but if
you have received a notice you must contact Federal agencies to deal with whatever
consequences they send your way at that point. The fifth rule upon receiving notice of an
employees conviction of a criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace, the
employer must take appropriate action within 30 calendar days. The last rule in this act
is too continuing an ongoing good faith effort to not consume any drugs on the job
period.
There has been an actual loss of companies because of substance abuse. This loss
has totaled to up to almost 100 billion dollars a year, which is major money to lose out
on. I believe that there are simple ways in preventing abusers from going to the extreme
but it starts with families and the workplace environment and the attitudes that play a
huge part. Life will not always be perfect but its what you make it. If you are being
stressed by a family member you should deleted yourself so that you dont have to try
and cope with your depression and anger through drugs and alcohol.
Sometimes you can have a boss at work that never compliments your work ethic
and is always saying things to bring you down. There are also those bosses that bully
their employees but they feel like they are better than them or like that have more than
they do and that is not appropriate for the company to have those that work like that.
This can be another reason why a person may begin to abuse.

When something like this occurs it is best to speak with corporate or any higher
authority before taking matters into your own hands. For the most part Corporate will

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solve the problem because they dont like confusion at the job and they dont want any
other problems to follow behind the problem at hand. Some people are not strong
enough to handle their bosses and they way they treat their employees.
When a person gets a mood to where they never want to come to work they may
start abusing to take the edge off when they arrive and also take the edge off when they
leave. This can very well be the start of abusers. Thats why it is important for
supervisors and managers to make the job enjoyable and comfortable for their
employees at all times. It is ok for supervisors and managers to be a little strict but from
articles Ive read about this topic it definitely makes employees feel uncomfortable and
drives them to drink or use drugs when they are being stressed at the job by higher
authority.
Studies show that stress at work is one of the main reasons why employees are
drinking before and after work. In my opinion I think there should be icebreakers at
work from time to time, maybe even once a month so that people can voice their
opinions about the job and try to fix problems when they occur ahead of time. Even if its
having to confess to your boss that he was being a little harsh this past month that would
help eliminate some of the problems and take the pressure off of having to find other
things to cope with the issues that are happening on a daily in the workplace.

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Bibliography Page
www.NCADD.com
http://alcoholism.about.com