Recent years have brought light to the drug addiction problem in the U.S. Millions of Americans suffer from substance abuse, and thousands of them lose their lives every year to overdosing. As a business owner, you have a duty to your company to prevent drug abuse from hampering business operations. But, what do you do about an employee you suspect has a drug or alcohol addiction that’s hurting them and their job performance?
If you have an employee you suspect of having an addiction, how you proceed will set the tone for your company going forward. In this brief article, we’ve listed some steps you can take if you believe an employee has a problem with substance abuse.
Look for and document signs of drug use.
If you believe one of your employees is struggling with drug addiction, the first step is monitoring their behavior and documenting signs and reports of drug use. Signs of substance abuse include mood swings, erratic behavior, changes in appearance (such as rapid weight loss), and poor job performance.
It’s important not to rush to snap judgments if you happen to notice signs of drug addiction. However, if you believe you have enough evidence to support your suspicions, the next step is to refer to your HR department and company policy for how to proceed. If you go about this situation the wrong way, you could find yourself on the wrong side of justice. While you can fire an employee for being impaired on the job, labor law prevents firing them for merely having a substance addiction. You don’t want a labor law and human rights attorney like Malliha Wilson taking your company to task for mishandling the situation, so proceed with caution.
Explore treatment options.
Of course, you don’t want substance abuse in your company, but terminating your employee isn’t always the best solution. Nowadays, many companies go the extra mile to get their team members the help they need for their drug or alcohol addiction.
The Hope House is a Phoenix drug rehab facility that provides comprehensive addiction treatment. They work with patients and get to the root of their substance addiction by addressing mental health and other issues. They offer outpatient treatment, enabling your employee to get the help they need without missing work.
Monitor the employee’s progress.
It’s critical to continue monitoring your team member’s progress to ensure the success of their recovery process. It’s also a good idea to offer regular group therapy to prevent future substance abuse problems in your company.
Substance abuse claims tens of thousands of lives in the United States every year, and that’s not a statistic you want anywhere near your company or employees. If you suspect a team member is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, your first step is monitoring them for signs of drug use like uncharacteristic behavior and job performance. If your company policy allows for it, you should require them to submit to a drug screen. If their test is positive, bring them in to discuss treatment and other options. Finally, be supportive of your employee’s recovery and monitor their progress.
Drug addiction can be a crippling illness when untreated. Even if your company policy allows for the firing of an employee impaired on the job, you could change your employee’s life for the better by helping them get treatment rather than immediately terminating them. Furthermore, going through the recovery process with your employee will show your entire organization you care more about them than their productivity. Addiction is difficult to deal with, but we’re confident your employee can overcome their struggles with your help.
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