Whereas a few years back ... Generally speaking, substance “boozers” or “junkies” at work

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