Alcohol Abuse Advice

The Impact of Drug Addiction on Corporates

Today, a large number of drug addicts are employed. According to SAMHSA’s survey, nearly 75% of estimated 16.4 million drug addicts are employed. These drug addicts provide a serious threat to the productivity of a company. Employers should look for symptoms in employees and use drug tests to detect them. Early intervention reduces liability of the company and protects the employees from life threatening effects of the drugs.

Symptoms:
Symptoms of drug addicts in employees should be identified quickly to avoid problems in future. The general symptoms of a drug addict are absenteeism, improbable excuses, unreliable in meeting deadlines and keeping appointments. They make mistakes due to poor judgment and inattention. Drug addicts have difficulty in concentrating, recalling details and they are confused.

The Loss:
Drug addicts are more vulnerable to accidents and injuries. They lead to lower levels of productivity and employee morale in a company. Drug addicts can cost billions of dollars to employers in the form of less working hours, increased health care costs and decreased productivity. In addition, a drug addict is 5 times more likely to claim worker’s compensation. Totally, they can cost up to 0 billion per year to an employer.

The Drug Testing:
In order to detect the drug addicts from the employees, employers implement drug tests. There are four common types of drug testing. They are,
•    Pre-Employment Drug Testing: These tests are vital as they are used on the job applicants and they block the drug addict’s entry into the company.
•    Post Accident Drug Testing: This test is used when an employee is involved in an accident at work place.
•    Random Drug Testing: In this method, one or more employees are selected through a random process for drug tests.
•    Reasonable Suspicion Tests: This test is done when an employee is suspected to be under the influence of drugs at work place.

Employers should intervene early to spot the symptoms of drug addicts and implement drug tests. No matter which drug test the employers use, they always provide positive returns to the investment of the company. This helps to save the drug-addicted employee as well as the company’s money.