Companies, staff often ignore addiction

By Erika D. Smith
Knight Ridder News Service

AKRON, Ohio — Nobody likes a tattletale.

That's what we learn in grade school. Unfortunately for substance abusers in the workplace, we never really unlearn that childhood code of ethics as adults.

"I've had some patients say to me, 'My employer knew about this and looked the other way,' " said Dr. Victoria Sanelli, associate medical director of the Ignatia Hall Acute Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center.

"There gets to be that don't-narc-on-your-colleague syndrome," she added.

Silence does no one any good. Not the addicted employee, who gets to prolong his or her problem while others turn a blind eye. And not the employer, who eats the cost of absences and lost productivity, and risks accidents, errors and low morale.

The workplace is not immune to alcohol and illegal drugs. Sixty percent of addicts are employed.

"Substance abuse in the workplace is as much of a problem as it is for all of society," said William C. Moyers, a vice president at the addiction research agency, the Hazelden Foundation. "It's pervasive."

Employers can protect themselves in a number of ways.

First, companies should set up clear drug-free policies and programs. The ground rules should specify what types of behavior are prohibited, the consequences of a violation and what opportunities there are for treatment.

The U.S. Labor Department runs a Web site to help companies build their own workplace policies. The Drug-Free Workplace Advisor is available at www.dol.gov/asp/programs/drugs/workingpartners/dfwpadvisor.asp.

"They can build their own policies that they can print out and run past a lawyer, but we think that (legal) time will be minimal because it comes straight from the Department of Labor," said Elena Carr, drug policy coordinator for the department's initiative, Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace.

The Web site also provides information about requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

That law lets companies test people for illegal substances before they're employed, if there's an on-the-job accident or if there's probable cause. What a company is allowed to do if that test comes back positive is determined by its own workplace policies.

That's why, second, it's important to communicate those substance-abuse policies to employees.

Moyer said it should be done in a proactive and positive way. Supervisors could bring it up during staff or board meetings, for example, or union leaders could prompt a discussion at the union hall. The goal is to make the company's expectations clear in every employee's mind.

Third, employers should educate employees about substance abuse.

They should be told how addiction can interfere with their lives and put their co-workers in danger. Or as Moyer described the consequences of his 20-year bout with alcohol, "Addiction robbed me of my work ethic."

"Addiction is not an excuse," Moyers said, "but it is an explanation."

That doesn't excuse personal responsibility, though.

Employers, fourth, should use a "carrot and stick" approach to encourage staffers to own up to their addiction and seek help. Most companies outsource initial assessments to an Employee Assistance Program provider, which pairs counselors with staffers for short-term sessions.

Telling an employee, "Either you seek treatment or you're fired" is not necessarily a bad thing. Such workplace interventions can be very effective, experts say.

Fifth, companies need to offer healthcare plans that cover inpatient and outpatient treatment for addiction. Right now, many providers only offer minimal coverage — some as low as $50 a year.

Sanelli called the industry standard "pathetic."

Moyer called it more evidence of how addiction is treated differently than other diseases.

Employers can help change that perception by pushing healthcare providers to offer better benefits packages.

They also can change minds by educating themselves.

A Hazelden Foundaton's survey of U.S. companies showed that more than half did not know how to identify an addiction-related problem, more than one-third did not know how to get treatment for addicted workers and one-quarter said their companies view firing someone as preferable to getting them help.

When someone returns to work after rehabilitation, Moyer said an employer should take pains to respect her privacy. He does encourage addicts to talk about their problems, though. Alcoholics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous meetings between shifts may not even be a bad idea.