Information for Doctors & Employers:
Recognizing the Signs of Chemical Dependency in the Workplace
The costs associated with substance abuse in the workplace are high. Productivity, quality, profitability, health care costs and even job security are impacted. But substance abuse and addiction can also threaten public safety, impair job performance, and often cost the employee involved his job, future and sometimes his, her, or another employee’s, life. That’s why recognizing chemical dependency in the workplace is critical. Although substance abuse in an employee is often difficult to identify, the following behaviors can often present as potential indicators.
Moods: Depressed, anxious, irritable, suspicious, complains about others, moody, emotionally unstable after lunch or break (e.g.,outbursts of crying)
Actions: Withdrawn or improperly talkative, excessive amount of time spent on the telephone, argumentative, exaggerated sense of self-importance, violent behavior, avoidance of supervisors
Absenteeism: Accelerated absenteeism and tardiness, frequent unreported absences, high incidents of illness, frequent use of unscheduled vacation time, unexplained disappearances, and requests to leave work early
Accidents: Taking of needless risks, disregard for safety of others, higher than average accident rate on and off the job.
Work Patterns: Inconsistency in quality of work, high and low periods of productivity, poor judgment, general carelessness, lapses in concentration, difficulty in recalling instructions, missed deadlines or incomplete assignments
Relationship To Others On The Job: Overreaction to real or imagined criticism, avoidance/withdrawal from peers, complaints from co-workers, borrowing money from fellow employees, persistent job transfer requests, complaints of financial and personal problems at home
Other Behaviors: The appearance of being under the influence including: the smell of alcohol, staggering, or an unsteady gait, bloodshot eyes, excessive use of mouthwash or breath mints, tremors, sleeping on duty, “morning after” alcohol smell
Did You Know?
- 19.4 million adults (18+) abuse or are dependent on alcohol or drugs
- 14.9 million full and part-time employees, regularly abuse or are dependent on alcohol or drugs
- More than 74 percent of substance abusers hold jobs
- The cost of alcohol and drug abuse to companies in the US totals more than $100 billion a year
Substance Abusers vs. Non Abusing Coworkers are:
- 10 times more likely to miss work
- 3.6 times more likely to be involved in on-the-job accidents
- 5 times more likely to injure themselves or another in the process
- 5 times more likely to file a worker’s compensation claim
- 33 percent less productive