Central Texas employers like many others across the nation are fighting a battle against a disease that once was either ignored or discussed behind closed doors. The problems of alcohol and drug abuse plague our citizens, and mental health and substance abuse counselors are working with those referred from businesses, school and from individual family members.
Awareness of the problem by teachers, parents and employers is certainly a start. However, everyone needs to recognize signs of chemical dependency and substance abuse and be informed about how it affects the individual.
Statistics astound us. At least 10 million adult Americans are problem drinkers. Estimates of deaths related to alcohol abuse range up to 205,000 annually.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the medical, social and industrial costs of problem drinking may run as high as $60 billion a year.
Employers note these problems with employees experiencing difficulties with drugs or alcohol abuse.
Lowered efficiency. Impaired decision making ability. Frequent mistakes. Missed deadlines. Improper use of time and materials.
Difficulties with fellow employees. Irritability. Moodiness. Complaints from other employees. Oversensitivity to criticism. Little association with or even avoidance of colleagues and supervisors.
Absenteeism. Frequent tardiness. Absences without logical reasons. Unexcused or unusual absences, like going to lunch and calling sick in the afternoon. Frequent illnesses. Patterned absences, like Monday mornings and/or Friday afternoons.
Unacceptable behavior. Physical violence with company property or other employees. Lies to co-workers or supervisors. Excessive emotional outbursts. Theft of company property.
Difficulties in concentration. Takes longer than usual or expected time to complete tasks. High distractibility.
Confusion. Cannot correct own mistakes. Frequently “misplaces” or forgets job assignments. Forgets instructions. Pays little attention to detail.
Sporadic work performance. Unpredictable. Fluctuates in quality of work. Works overtime to finalize assignment.
Elevated accident rate. Uses poor judgment. Endangers coworkers. Disregards safety procedures. High rate of near accidents.
Files excessive number of grievances. Frequent complaints and statements of dissatisfaction.
Off-the-job problems escalate. Legal or financial problems. Drunken driving arrests.
Businesses have provided help and counseling for employees with such problems. Their programs have resulted in a recovery rate of up to 80 percent. In all therapy programs – and in Alcoholics Anonymous – alcoholics are told their disease cannot be cured. But it can be arrested through abstinence.
Recognizing the symptoms and securing help is the way employers, fellow employees and family members can work toward reducing this community problem. Drug abuse in the workplace is a big problem in industry, but in the small business it can have an even greater impact. The loss of one worker, or one worker’s time, affects the entire company.
Copyright c 1990 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.
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