Impact of Substance Abuse in the Workplace

The impact of an employee’s substance abuse is felt not just by the employee but also by his co-workers, employer, family and community. Often when an employee is abusing substances it is his co-workers who cover up for him, by doing his work, evading questions about his whereabouts, lending him money and correcting his mistakes. Below are more specifics about the impact of substance abuse on the workplace.

Employee Health

People who abuse alcohol or other drugs tend to neglect nutrition, sleep and other basic health needs. Substance abuse depresses the immune system.
This results in higher use of health benefits, increased use of sick time and higher absenteeism and tardiness. This increased cost for benefits is often passed on to other employees and/or customers.

Productivity

Employees who are substance abusers can be physically and mentally impaired while on the job. Substance abuse interferes with job satisfaction and the motivation to do a good job. This can result in more mistakes, lower productivity, lower quality of work and reduced customer satisfaction. The company could lose business and income, which impacts other employees.

Decision Making

Individuals who abuse alcohol and/or other drugs often make poor decisions and have a distorted perception of their ability. This can result in poor decisions, both on a daily basis and long term. Poor decisions can result in poor management and being less competitive.

Safety

Common effects of substance abuse include impaired vision, hearing and muscle coordination and low levels of attention, alertness and mental acuity. This can result in increased accidents, putting co-workers or the public in potential danger.

Employee Morale

The presence of an employee with drug and/or alcohol problems creates a strain on relationships between coworkers. Organizations that appear to condone substance abuse create the impression that they don’t care. The result can be higher turnover, lower quality of employees and less team effort.

Security

Employees with drug and/or alcohol problems often have financial difficulties, and employees who use illegal drugs may be engaging in illegal activities in the workplace. This can result in theft and having to involve law enforcement personnel.

Organizational Image and Community Relations

Accidents, lawsuits and other incidents stemming from employee substance abuse problems can hurt an organization’s reputation in the community.

The Employee Assistance Program is available to consult with employers about addressing substance abuse in the workplace. For more information call 410-281-1334.