Within a business, employers and managers must be informed about addiction and how to tackle it. Consider alcohol use of the English population as a whole, in 2022, 61% of men and 51% of women reported drinking alcohol in the previous week.
That’s a huge amount of people, and therefore, the employed population who drink. It doesn’t take much for problematic drink to arise.
What does this mean for businesses? It’s reported that addiction cost “£7.3 billion… to employers due to lost productivity, absenteeism and accidents.”(2)
This article explores how addiction impacts business and how to address the issue with the affected person, staff, and at a company level.
How addiction impacts businesses
Addiction is a severe condition that affects a person’s mental and physical health. While under the influence, people might seem over-stimulated or drowsy, unfocused, confused, disorganised, and nonsensical. People experiencing withdrawal can present with mood swings (i.e. anger and sorrow), irritability, lack of concentration. As well as this, there are physical symptoms such as pupil dilation, shaking, sweating, headaches, etc.
It’s to be expected, therefore, that a person’s ability to function normally is affected. Here are some of the ways performance is hindered in the workplace when addiction is present.
1. Reduced productivity
Some people in the throes of addiction might be very defensive of their habits going so far as to say that the substance helps them to focus or get more done, to relax and unwind so they feel better the next day. This is especially seen where people are in the denial stage of addiction.
Eventually, however, there’s no denying that substances negatively impact work productivity. At a base level, substances fill the body with toxins, they impact sleep, reduce the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients, and there’s no denying this has a knock-on effect.
Long-term use alters the brain’s neural pathways and structure affecting cognitive and executive functioning. This alters how people think and do tasks. It’s common for addicted people to be less productive in the work environment.
2. Increased safety risk
When under the influence of alcohol or drugs, people aren’t as sharp. It’s easier to misjudge (i.e. spatially, social cues, around decision making). There are many safety risks if people are at work inebriated. Some work environments pose higher risks than others. For instance, a person working with heavy machinery could cause physical harm to themselves or others.
3. Negative impact on work environment
It goes without saying that the person with the addiction will be having a hard time, regardless of whether they’ve accepted they have an issue or not, but another essential point is how one person’s addiction affects the people around them.
At work, the entire team can be implemented by the behaviours of one person. Results and successes might be affected and a negative morale might evolve. This makes it harder to achieve as a team and at a wider scale of the business.
4. Negative business reputation
Naturally, when a person’s unable to work at their full potential for the majority of the time, there’s an impact on the team, results, and thereafter, the company as a whole. It doesn’t take long for this to be seen outside the organisation. If an addicted employee is customer or business to business facing, then there’s also the risk that their symptoms will be witnessed and perceived negatively.
5. Loss of earnings
As a person’s impacted by cravings, compulsive thoughts and behaviours and is increasingly unable to concentrate on work tasks, there’s inevitably a decrease in performance. This implicates the value that the company places on the employee (i.e. how much they’re “worth” in salary while unable to perform to full potential) as well as the value of the product or service that the employee produces.
What leaders can do to support employees and the business
Staff don’t choose to become ill. Addiction needs to be treated like any other mental or physical health condition in terms of openness and compassion. There does, however, need to be an awareness of the uniqueness of addiction and therefore some thought on how it’s managed.
1. How to support staff
When you first notice an employee has a substance misuse problem, it’s important to be direct, compassionate, and open-minded.
Open a dialogue in a private environment where you can raise the topic discreetly. Don’t expect much from the conversation, use it as a place to open the conversation, to make it clear that you’re aware of what’s going on, and to be helpful. Signposting to supportive organisations etc is a key aspect in this initial chat.
There must be a focus on the mental wellbeing and physical health (where relevant) of the employee. This is key to identifying the best way to support the member of staff at work, in potentially adapting their role, and in whatever steps may come next in helping them to access treatment.
As an employer, learn about recovery and rehab and support staff to fully commit to recovery. This might include granting sick days, maintaining light connection while they’re off, and adopting a phased return to work.
2. What to do for the business
Addiction is rifer than people realise. Many associate substance abuse with street drugs and alcoholism, but it’s not uncommon for professionals to drink half a bottle of wine every evening. Problematic and addictive drinking affects people from all walks of life. Raising awareness of substance misuse is essential within the company for it be more easily approached, managed and treated.
One of the most useful starting points to address addiction in the workplace is, again, by encouraging open discussion. This might begin by inviting outside speakers in to talk with staff. From here, there might information shared via email, relevant agenda points during meetings, and sign-posted information in discreet places (i.e. toilet cubicles).
It’s imperative to include guidance in company policies related to alcohol and drug use. Make sure expectations are clear and that staff know that no-one should be under the influence while working. There should be guidelines on how to identify substance use and what managers should do in the event of inebriation.
Policies should also outline when staff need to clarify the use of any new medication. Finally, reassure staff of support (i.e. occupational therapy) linked to addiction and mental health.
Another important point is to ensure the company runs smoothly in the face of substance issues. Managers and leaders should be trained in how to address this in terms of safety and compassion, all the while ensuring business needs are met.
The most important point to keep in mind
The most efficient way to treat those who have addiction is through a stay at a rehab clinic. When substance use has gotten out of hand or taken years to develop, it takes time to address. Firstly, an alcohol detox must happen. At rehab, the affected person is supported by a medical team to wean off the substance safely. After this, therapeutic, holistic, and group work takes place to support people to develop the skills to maintain sobriety.
For a business, this can mean that a member of staff might need an extended period of time off work (i.e. a month). Plans should be made to support the employee to access rehab and to be reintegrated back to work in an informed and compassionate way.
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