What is the relationship between work issues and substance abuse?

Economic Costs

Substance abuse is a common problem in the workplace in the United States. Contrary to popular stereotypes, as of 2014, 56.1 percent of adults with substance abuse problems were employed full time, and an additional 16.2 percent were part-time employees. About 8 percent of full-time employed adults and 6.6 percent of part-time employed adults reported heavy use of alcohol in the past month. In addition, a 2014 survey commissioned by the website Mashable found that 9.7 percent of Americans had gone to work at least once while under the influence of marijuana, 7.3 percent had done so after taking prescription drugs for recreational purposes, and 3.4 percent while under the influence of an illegal drug other than marijuana.

The abuse of these substances imposes heavy financial burdens on businesses in the United States. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as of 2006–7, drug and alcohol abuse combined cost the US economy an estimated total of $416 billion per year, the majority of which was lost by employers. (The remainder of the cost was due to health care expenses and criminal prosecution.) Direct costs to employers included lost productivity from increased absenteeism and sick leave, compensation for workplace accidents and injuries, high employee turnover and the resulting cost of training new employees, higher disability payments and health care expenditures, drug testing and employee assistance programs, theft of or damage to company property, liability insurance, and involvement of law enforcement for drug-related crises in the workplace.

In addition to the direct costs of work-related substance abuse, employers must cover indirect costs. These costs include lowered employee morale, loss of competitiveness, damage to the company’s reputation because of declining quality of goods and services, and poor decisions made by substance-impaired managers or supervisors.

Some industries and occupations have higher rates of alcohol and substance abuse among employees than others. Industries with the highest rates of alcohol abuse include mining and construction, while accommodations, food services, arts, entertainment, and recreation rank high in both alcohol and illicit drug use. Management occupations are near the top in both categories, though they rank higher in drug use than in heavy alcohol use. Other industries with relatively high rates of substance use include utilities, retail trade, and real estate.

Work-related factors known to increase the risk of substance abuse among employees, including managers and supervisors, include high stress levels, repetitious tasks, working in isolation, long and irregular work shifts, access to alcohol or drugs, and relative lack of supervision. Small businesses are at greater risk than large companies, as they are less likely to have prevention and treatment programs for impaired employees and are less likely to screen potential employees for substance abuse problems.

Health and Public Safety Issues

The well-being and safety of other workers and the general public was a major reason for increased research into and legislation regarding work-related substance abuse in the early 1980s. A “zero tolerance” policy that includes mandatory drug testing of all US military personnel was introduced in 1981 following a plane crash on an aircraft carrier that killed fourteen crew members.

Research conducted since the mid-1980s has shown that workers who abuse drugs and alcohol, whether on the job or at home, are a threat to the safety of others and themselves. For example, about one-half of all visits to emergency rooms in the United States for traumatic injuries are related to alcohol abuse, and employees who abuse alcohol have health care costs 100 percent higher than those of other workers. Employees who use illegal drugs are twice as likely as nonusers to call in sick and four times as likely to be involved in a workplace accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that 15 to 20 percent of workers who die on the job test positive for alcohol or drugs at autopsy.

In addition to accidental injuries, employees who abuse substances are also at increased risk of such long-term health consequences as cancer and other diseases of the heart, liver, and pancreas. Workers who abuse drugs and alcohol are also more likely to cause health problems for their coworkers by adding to workplace tensions. Violent behavior and accidents triggered by intoxication are obvious causes of injury to others; however, stress resulting from having to complete projects for impaired employees or to work extra shifts to make up for their absenteeism also can have long-term effects on the health and job satisfaction of other workers. Drug-related problem behaviors such as mood swings, unusually long breaks, hypersensitivity to criticism, missing deadlines, and borrowing or stealing money from colleagues to finance a drug habit lower the morale of other workers. Finally, more than one-half of workers who live with or are related to an alcoholic or drug addict report that their own productivity at work is affected by anxiety about their relative or roommate.

Legal Issues

Also associated with workplace substance abuse are specific legal issues. These issues include federal regulation of transportation and other safety-sensitive industries, mandates applied to companies that do business with the government, the response of law enforcement to drug-related workplace crime (such as possession and sale of drugs, embezzlement, property theft, and violent assault), the rights of employees regarding drug and alcohol testing, and the introduction of workplace drug policies.

The first major federal law in this field was the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, which requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to establish drug-free workplaces to receive grants or contracts from any federal agency. The precise requirements vary somewhat according to whether the contractor or grantee is an individual or an organization.

The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have strict regulations regarding drug use and drug testing for employees whose jobs require a commercial driver’s license. Similarly, the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires periodic testing of airline pilots for alcohol or drug abuse, including the abuse of prescription drugs.

Another legal issue related to workplace substance abuse is the rights of employees regarding drug testing, specifically involving federal and state disability laws. In general, substance abuse has not been considered a disability such that firing an addicted employee could be considered harassment or discrimination. Nonetheless, to avoid future lawsuits by former employees, employers are usually advised to seek legal advice when introducing a workplace drug policy.

Drug-Free Workplace Programs

The high human and financial costs of work-related substance abuse have led more and more employers to introduce workplace policies intended to prevent and treat such abuse. OSHA has identified five essential features of a drug-free workplace policy: a written statement of company policy regarding drug use, testing, consequences for violations, and similar matters; training supervisors in appropriate handling of drug-related problems; educating employees; drug testing; and employee assistance programs or referral to professional counseling. To help employers draft policy statements that fit their particular workplace, the US Department of Labor offers an online, interactive drug-free workplace advisor.

One important aspect of such policies is the supervisor or manager’s role. Supervisors are advised to focus on and document problems with an employee’s performance or productivity when drug abuse is suspected, rather than attempting to diagnose substance use or provide informal counseling. In addition, supervisors are expected to protect employees’ confidentiality. One of the most challenging tasks in maintaining a drug-free workplace policy at all levels of a company is balancing the rights of affected employees to confidentiality and access to treatment with the rights of nonusers to a safe and drug-free workplace.

Bibliography

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