health Opioid Use and Your Employees by: Tricia Pierce, Community Relations Specialist, Life Management Center
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e are all hearing more about the national opioid epidemic. We know there is a problem, and most of us believe something should be done to stop it. What should be done is a matter of debate and we won’t get into that debate here. What we do want to talk about is how it can affect your employees and what you can do to help prevent the problems in your business.
a more significant impact on the ability to work. According to the National Safety Council and the independent research institution, NORC at the University of Chicago, opioid users miss twice as many days of work as people with addictions to other drugs. Finally, employers are losing good employees as the substance negatively impacts their work.
Substance abuse issues, including opioids, are causing many problems. One issue is that employers are seeing fewer applicants for open positions when a drug screening is involved. Another issue is employees are showing up for work unprepared and unable to successfully perform their job due to substance abuse. Of course, that’s when they do show up for work. While alcohol abuse remains the most prevalent substance abuse problem, opioid abuse can have
So, what can you do to minimize the impact on your employees and your business? Most businesses are focused on how to help an employee receive treatment after a substance problem is already present. But, successful companies don’t approach other possible problems this way. Instead we try to identify problems before they arise and prevent them from occurring. Why don’t we do this with substance abuse issues?
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APRIL - JUNE 2018
