Dr LeCrone
05-31-2006, 12:07 PM
During the last year I have been pleased to hear both employers and employees state with increasing frequency, “Enough is enough.”
The “enough” they are referring to is their tolerance for alcohol and drug abuse, especially in the workplace. Increasingly, Waco businesses are accepting the nationwide challenge to wage war against drugs.
Recognizing the national decline in productivity and in the standard of living for those who use drugs in the workplace, businesses admit they are part of a tragic national statistic – more than 10 percent of the people in every business, school or other organization have chemical dependency problems that impair their ability to perform.
Also staggering is that the cost of substance abuse to Americans last year was estimated at $177 billion – a statistic that translates into a tax of roughly $700 per person.
No wonder businesses are adopting chemical free policies and zero tolerance for chemical addiction in the workplace. Employers often tell me they didn’t believe they had a problem until a particular incident caused them to see the destructive potential of drug and alcohol abuse. Employees also have recognized the loss to their organization and even the danger of working with other employees who have chemical dependencies. They are tired of covering up for co-workers who have made their jobs more difficult and have threatened them with loss of life and limb.
In my opinion, the first thing to be done is for each employer and employee to rid themselves of denial – the thought that, “We don’t have that much of a problem in this organization.” Once the problem is admitted, the next step is finding how the problem is manifested. Signs and symptoms of chemical dependency have been studied and information can be passed on so impaired workers and the patterns of behavior that they exhibit can be noted and tracked. Many companies are adopting drug screening. This procedure is being embraced enthusiastically by employer and employee.
The final phase in developing a chemical free workplace is to develop a program and make it available for any employee willing to seek help. For those who accept help, hope is possible through rehabilitation, counseling and treatment procedures. Employers who adopt the unenlightened attitude of, “If they are found to be using, fire them,” are overlooking that they will have a loss of productivity due to turnover, retraining and morale problems, not to mention the lack of humanitarian concern for helping an employee with a disease.
I feel privileged to be participating in the program “Chemical Dependency in the Workplace” on Nov. 9 at the Waco Convention Center. This conference, sponsored by the Waco Management and Personnel Association and Waco Job Service Employer Committee, gives all non-profit proceeds to future efforts to combat chemical dependency. The conference will address the three elements I have discussed as well as the legal aspects of drug and alcohol testing. Speakers will include a panel of Waco businessmen involved in chemical free workplace efforts and Jerry Cunningham, keynote speaker, chairman of the Texas Commission on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1989
The “enough” they are referring to is their tolerance for alcohol and drug abuse, especially in the workplace. Increasingly, Waco businesses are accepting the nationwide challenge to wage war against drugs.
Recognizing the national decline in productivity and in the standard of living for those who use drugs in the workplace, businesses admit they are part of a tragic national statistic – more than 10 percent of the people in every business, school or other organization have chemical dependency problems that impair their ability to perform.
Also staggering is that the cost of substance abuse to Americans last year was estimated at $177 billion – a statistic that translates into a tax of roughly $700 per person.
No wonder businesses are adopting chemical free policies and zero tolerance for chemical addiction in the workplace. Employers often tell me they didn’t believe they had a problem until a particular incident caused them to see the destructive potential of drug and alcohol abuse. Employees also have recognized the loss to their organization and even the danger of working with other employees who have chemical dependencies. They are tired of covering up for co-workers who have made their jobs more difficult and have threatened them with loss of life and limb.
In my opinion, the first thing to be done is for each employer and employee to rid themselves of denial – the thought that, “We don’t have that much of a problem in this organization.” Once the problem is admitted, the next step is finding how the problem is manifested. Signs and symptoms of chemical dependency have been studied and information can be passed on so impaired workers and the patterns of behavior that they exhibit can be noted and tracked. Many companies are adopting drug screening. This procedure is being embraced enthusiastically by employer and employee.
The final phase in developing a chemical free workplace is to develop a program and make it available for any employee willing to seek help. For those who accept help, hope is possible through rehabilitation, counseling and treatment procedures. Employers who adopt the unenlightened attitude of, “If they are found to be using, fire them,” are overlooking that they will have a loss of productivity due to turnover, retraining and morale problems, not to mention the lack of humanitarian concern for helping an employee with a disease.
I feel privileged to be participating in the program “Chemical Dependency in the Workplace” on Nov. 9 at the Waco Convention Center. This conference, sponsored by the Waco Management and Personnel Association and Waco Job Service Employer Committee, gives all non-profit proceeds to future efforts to combat chemical dependency. The conference will address the three elements I have discussed as well as the legal aspects of drug and alcohol testing. Speakers will include a panel of Waco businessmen involved in chemical free workplace efforts and Jerry Cunningham, keynote speaker, chairman of the Texas Commission on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1989