Substance abuse in the workplace is a serious, all-too-common problem. And whether you’re the company owner, business CEO, head of the company’s HR or a floor supervisor, guess what? It’s your all-too-common problem.

 

Whether you employ a friendly staff of five or have 5,000 employees around the globe, substance abuse on the job is costing you money and creating liabilities that your company just doesn’t need. Check out these “sobering” facts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still think it’s somebody else’s problem? If your co-worker is drunk, you’re more likely to get injured on the job. That makes it your problem.

 

If you’re a company owner, don’t you owe it to your employees, your investors and your future to run a clean shop?

 

Nightmare scenario: one of your floor employees is seriously injured as the result of negligence on the part of a coworker. And it’s subsequently determined that the offending employee has a blood alcohol level of .016 – double the limit for driving.

 

 

 

 

Not only do you have to contend with the sadness of losing a valued employee and the earnings s/he creates for the company, you’ve exposed the corporation to a liability lawsuit for allowing the intoxicated worker to even be on the work floor.

 

Workman comp suits, personal and business liability, the loss of a valued (and totally innocent) employee, lawyers, legalities and a ton – a ton – of cash out the door.

 

Whenever one of your employees is substance impaired, you open your business to the risk of liability – and that could well mean the end of the business altogether.

 

So, how do you keep the substance-impaired tech away from that $12 million mainframe?

 

Start with all new hires. When you place a classified for new employees, whether assembly line workers or a six-figure-income financial VP, make it clear from day one that yours is a drug-free workplace. (BTW, just because the six-figure-income guy wears an $800 suit doesn’t mean he’s clean and sober. He could be snorting coke in the bathroom for all you know!)

 

If the new hire, going in, understands the rules, he or she is more likely to play by the rules.

 

If your company doesn’t have a substance abuse policy, it’s time to draw one up. The policy should be simple, unambiguous and posted on every bulletin board from the break room to the time clock.

 

Yes.

 

There’s debate in the human resources community about drug testing. Some experts believe it undermines moral. Others believe it’s absolutely essential. I fall into the latter group.

 

Not only is random drug testing in the workplace a good idea, it’s also sound business practice, a low-cost insurance policy and a productivity booster all in one. There may be some who object. There will be those who believe drug testing is an invasion of privacy. But you not only have a right to hire and use clean and sober employees, you have an obligation to the other employees to create a safe working environment.

 

A vigorous, on-going substance abuse program is essential in today’s competitive business community. You need every advantage you can garner. Drug and alcohol testing delivers the advantage you’re looking for.

 

Can you afford to lose a key employee?

 

Consider this: human resources professionals claim that it costs a mid-level company $20K to replace a middle manager. That’s head-hunting fees, interviews and resumes and, of course, lost productivity as the replacement learns the ropes.

 

So what can you, the small- to mid-sized business owner, do when you discover a substance abuse problem in your company, whether in the boardroom or stock room?

 

Some companies maintain a zero tolerance policy, but that’s self-defeating. It may lessen substance abuse among employees but it also makes it impossible to keep a critical cog in the machinery while maintaining that zero tolerance policy.

 

I think it’s more productive for both employer and employee if the business implements a “one strike and your out” policy. If a valued employee is found to have a substance abuse problem, he or she, according to stated and printed company policy, must attend substance abuse counseling and agree to more frequent, vigorous testing.

 

If the employee agrees to these terms, your have a better educated staff member, one who has experienced the failure of a substance abuse test, and an employee who already knows the job inside and out.

 

Conversely, if the employee rejects the offer of help and education, s/he gets the boot. Okay, you can make one mistake (strike one) and accept help, but there ain’t going to be a strike two.

 

Abuse. Refuse help. You lose…your job.