Ask people to describe the profile of a substance abuser, and they will likely point to a career criminal, not someone who happens to carry a briefcase. The finger is unlikely to fall on coworkers, although the reality is starkly different -- by many estimates, nearly 75 percent of all substance abusers hold full- or part-time jobs, underscoring the challenge that awaits employers who fail to acknowledge any problems themselves. Left unchecked, substance abuse can destroy a business by attrition, as absenteeism, lost productivity and instability take their toll.
History
Concern about substance abuse on the job is not a new phenomenon. Fears about the potential impact of substance abuse on productivity has been a common denominator since colonial times, when many communities imposed harsh punishments -- such as confinement to stocks, for example -- for offenses like public drunkenness. Similarly, America's attempt to ban alcohol during the 1920s- and 1930s-era Prohibition experiment reflected the power enjoyed by local temperance movements, whose members feared losing the family breadwinner to the allure of saloons, liquor stores and opium dens.
Size
Sizing up the scale of workplace substance abuse is difficult, since many employers -- especially owners of small businesses -- are reluctant to admit any problems, or prefer to handle them in their own fashion. However, the available statistics suggest some troubling trends. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, illicit drug use remains highest among 16- to 25-year-olds, the age group most rapidly entering the work force. On a more troubling note, several jobs that require greater levels of alertness -- notably, construction workers, machine operators and material movers -- reported above-average rates of abuse.
Characteristics
Substance abusers come from all backgrounds, yet their behavior frequently falls into patterns that employers can learn to recognize. Problems may begin with lower-level behaviors -- such as persistent lateness for work, or missed deadlines -- before an employer notices the progression to more serious issues. Absenteeism rates are two to three times higher among substance abusers, who also claim three times as many sick benefits, according to the employers' advisory site Safe Work. Employees struggling with substances also file five times as many workers' compensation claims.
Concerns
For all the attention spent policing employees who abuse seriously addictive drugs like cocaine, heroin and even methamphetamine, many employers remain surprisingly oblivious to the impact of alcohol on their business -- most likely due to its social acceptability, Safe Work observes. However, moderate and occasional drinkers actually cause the highest proportion of performance-related problems, because their numbers are far greater, the organization notes. For example, a study of alcohol problems among airline pilots published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" showed that 89 percent were unable to perform all operations correctly, once their blood alcohol levels reached .10 or higher -- at that time, the minimum level required to be considered legally drunk in most states.
Responses
Frustrated by what they see as growing threats to their bottom line, employers are increasingly favoring drug testing above employee assistance problems as the solution. Drug testing has increased by 277 percent since 1987, despite concerns about the accuracy and fairness of the practice, according to a summary posted on the American Civil Liberties Union's website. Beyond concerns about the impact on civil liberties and privacy, critics argue that drug testing inflicts a second violation -- by revealing the presence of other physical and mental conditions.
Problem/Solution
One point is frequently overlooked in the drug testing debate. Like any organization, the workplace only reflects the community itself, depending on the percentage of substance abusers who live there. As the ACLU's summary of its position indicates, many drug testing programs often stem from one particular incident -- such as reports of excessive drinking at an office party, for example. However,even advocacy groups like Safe Work suggest that, rather than trying to punish individuals, employers may be better off pursuing a comprehensive prevention and treatment approach -- opening the way to gradually change a community's attitude toward substance abuse.
Tags: drug testing, Safe Work, substance abuse, substance abusers, concerns about
