ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN THE WORKPLACE – HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS RISING SCOURGE By Sophia Serret Whereas a few years back the “boozers” or “junkies” at work were ostracised as the exceptions, today they are the norm. There has been in recent years an outbreak of alcoholics and substance abusers and when they arrive for work, they don’t leave their addiction at the door. The statistics are staggering; in North America, of the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2007, 13 million were employed either full or part time. The costs associated with substance abuse in Canada such as criminal justice costs, indirect effects on productivity, premature death, illness and injury, and acute care hospital days is higher than $40 billion per year. Furthermore, research indicates that between 10 and 20 percent of the nation’s workers who die on the job test positive for alcohol or other drugs. In fact, industries with the highest rates of drug use are the same as those at a high risk for occupational injuries, such as construction, manufacturing, mining, and wholesale. Employers have a crucial role to play in stopping, if not at least controlling, the devastating effects that the abuse of alcohol and other substances can have on the workplace. In an attempt to eradicate or control this scourge, employers need to understand the three factors of addictions, learn to recognize the physiological signs of alcoholism and substance abuse, and as important, put in place a method to deal with alcoholics and substance abusers when they are at work. Generally speaking, substance abuse is considered to occur when a drug is taken without medical reasons or if a substance impairs or jeopardises the health or safety of oneself or others. Abuse can occur by using a substance too much, too often, for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time, or at the wrong place. Reflecting on this definition, addiction in the workplace has become an occupational health and safety issue for the following reasons: Definition of Substance Abuse  Greater risk of occupational injuries and illnesses. The Canadian Center on Substance Abuse defines substance abuse as the use of a potentially impairing substance to the point that it adversely affects performance or safety at work, either directly through intoxication or hangover, or indirectly through social or health problems.  After-effects of alcoholism and substance use (hangover, withdrawal, absenteeism, illness) affect job performance and productivity  Preoccupation, with obtaining and using substances while at work, interferes with attention and concentration  Illegal activities at work including selling illicit drugs to other employees  Psychological or stress-related effects due to substance abuse by a family member, friend or co-worker that affects another person’s job performance.  Lack of concentration endangering the life of the employee, co-workers and customers  Violent reactions caused by withdrawal symptoms violating the provisions of Bill 168  Possible theft and/or damage of company’s assets There is always a question people invariably ask themselves when having to deal with addictions. What snaps in someone’s mind to fall into the claws of alcoholism and drug addiction? Research has found that there are 3 key predominant factors or a combination of them that can cause addictions. Factors of Addictions Addiction to alcohol or illicit drugs is a complex interaction of 3 key factors:  Biological – the assumption is that many genes influence people’s responses to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and that their responses reflect a continuum of vulnerability to alcoholism and drug problems. Therefore, substance abuse is an inevitable, progressive and irreversible condition.  Psychological – adolescents with distinct personality traits are more prone to becoming illicit drugs abusers. These are rebelliousness, impulsiveness and aggressiveness, attention deficit disorders, emotional instability, depression, sensation seeking, other mental disturbances such as phobias, rage, anxiety, mania, paranoid delusions, strong antisocial and psychopathic tendencies.  Socio-environmental – the conditions in which people live have a huge impact on their potential addiction such as 1) the availability and cost of alcohol and other drugs, 2) family life (family members models of substance use emulated by children, childhood experience within distressed or dysfunctional families, etc.), 3) poverty, 4) membership in a group devaluated by the large society, 4) parental abuse and neglect, 5) low cohesion, 6) low mutual support, 7) lack of control over job, etc. Physiological Signs of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Very few employees will openly agree that they battle an addiction. As an employer, your role is to detect those physiological signs of alcoholism and substance abuse that “don’t lie”:  Red eyes – greyish complexion  Bad breath  Shaky hands and body  Hyperactivity or extreme fatigue  Violent behaviours – physical and verbal  Withdrawal from teams  Uneven talk, incomprehensive talk (mumbling, heavy tongue, etc.)  Heavy breathing and sweating  Shabby look – unshaved, long and dirty hair, dirty clothes  Marks on the body – cuts, injection spots, etc. Once you detect that one of your employees shows signs of alcoholism or substance abuse what can you resort to legally? There are legal implications of addiction. In the case Kemess Mines Ltd v/s International Union of Operating Engineers – local 115 – an employee was caught smoking marijuana on the employer’s property in violation of the employer’s “zero tolerance policy” on drug use. The grievor was employed as a tailings pond operator at an open pit mine in Northern BC. Because of his long-term addiction which is considered a disability, the arbitrator overturned the employer’s decision to dismiss the employee, and substituted a ten-month disciplinary suspension (without pay or benefits). In addition, a number of conditions were imposed on the grievor’s return to active service. CATEGORY OF SUBSTANCES & GENERAL EFFECTS CATEGORY EXAMPLES Alcohol Beer, wines, spirits Cannabis Marijuana, hashish Depressants Sleeping medicines, sedatives, some tranquilisers Hallucinogens LSD, PCP, Inhalants Hydrocarbons, solvents, gasoline Nicotine Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff Opiates Morphine, heroin, codeine, some prescription pain medications Stimulants Cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine EXAMPLES OF GENRAL EFFECTS Impaired judgements, slowed reflexes, impaired motor functions, sleepiness or drowsiness, coma, overdose may be fatal Distorted sense of time, impaired memory, impaired coordination Inattention, slowed reflexes, depression, impaired balance, drowsiness, coma; overdose may be fatal Inattention, sensory illusions, hallucinations, disorientation psychosis Intoxication similar to alcohol, dizziness, headache Initial stimulant, later depressant effects Loss of interest, “nodding”; overdose may be fatal. If used by injection, the sharing of needles may spread Hepatitis B or C and HIV/AIDS. Elevated mood, overactivity, tension/anxiety, rapid heartbeat, constriction of blood vessels This court judgement has ripple effects for employers who can no longer deny that addictions in the workplace have become a serious problem. Management has also the responsibility to assist troubled employees instead of blaming them for their addiction. If the onus is on the employer to assist employees in finding help out of their addiction, what do employers have to resort to? This five-step method ensures due diligence on the part of the employer while respecting the dignity of the employee. Remedial Methodology Step 1: Identify the troubled employee Alcoholics and substance abusers display a shift in behaviours and attitudes that is recognizable: - Changes in productivity - Attendance problems, absence from the work area - Procrastination, inability to concentrate - Complaints from other workers/customers - Changes in quality of work - Poor judgement, confusion and forgetfulness - Exaggerating work accomplishments - Making excuses for substandard work - Changes in appearance – red eyes, scruffy look Step 2: Record what you observe - Write down incidents as they happen. Be factual with dates, times with specifics clearly noted - Record actual incidents, not impressions or gossips - Be fair. Don’t cite something as problematic if it is a workplace norm – i.e. long coffee breaks - Be consistent - Keep documentation confidential - Stay relevant to job performance Step 3: Prepare to meet with the employee - Discuss the matter with Management or Human Resources to clarify applicable company policies - Contact the Employee Assistance Program, if available, to discuss the advisability and procedure for referral - Gather and summarize all related documentation (i.e. incident reports, past job performance reviews) to look for patterns or previous occurrences - Identify objectives and timelines – what does the employee need to do, and by when, to rectify the situation. - Identify consequences if the performance problem continues - Try to anticipate the employee’s reaction so that you can be prepared - For unionized employees, you may also need to involve a union representative to the meeting with the employee - Maintain confidentiality at all times Step 4: Meeting with the employee If you have prepared well ahead of this meeting, you will be in a better position to protect yourself and your organization, should a problem occur. - Schedule a private meeting - Discuss current performance - Get input from the employee - Advice the employee - Set timelines - Be clear about the next step - Anticipate the employee admitting a problem - Direct the employee to sources of help – AA, Adult Mental Health, Crisis’ hotline, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, residential treatment centres, etc. - Offer encouragement Step 5: Follow-up to ensure success - During the meeting, the employer/supervisor and the employee have set up a plan of action for improving work performance - It’s important that this plan is recorded, either during the meeting or in a letter summarising the action plan afterward. The plan should include a time frame - For a further assessment of job performance, it is very important to follow through with scheduled performance reviews to ensure that agreed-upon actions plans are being carried out. Meeting with the employee on an ongoing basis are important to deal with concerns that may arise - Follow-up meetings are also a great opportunity to recognize improved performance and provide encouragement to the employee. If job performance is not improving, the employer/ supervisor must follow through with the agreedupon next steps Workplace substance abuse is no longer a taboo as most companies have or have had to deal with it. Substance abuse is the result of a combination of factors that is not, most of the time, the result of the troubled incumbent’s employment. Yet, it has become an occupational health and safety issue because of the ripple effects that addictions have on the workplace. This five-step method is easy to implement and is cost-effective. Employers are encouraged to tap into the offerings of all resources available to eradicate, if not to control, this 21st century scourge. Source: Canadian Center on Substance Abuse – http://www.ccsa.ca/Pages/Splash.htm