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Substance Abuse
It is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians will be affected by addiction sometime in their life, and that on any given week, 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work because of it. The Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse estimates that over $24 billion dollars per year is lost in productivity because of substance abuse alone.
Working Around a Sensitive Issue
While abuse of substances such as alcohol, illicit drugs or prescription medications is not new, there is increasing awareness of how the workplace is affected.
Job performance may be jeopardized in ways such as increased absences, lower productivity, frequent errors, decreased quality of work, or resentment towards the employee or employer. Safety may be compromised for employees while increasing liability for the employer.
How Employers Can Help
Employers can be key players in affecting positive change, often beginning with a Substance-Free Workplace Policy. A commitment to employee wellness programs, supervisor training and employee education programs assist in creating an informed and supportive workplace. Supporting employees throughout their treatment plan, whether outpatient or inpatient, is usually less expensive than replacing the employee. With proper treatment and support, the employee can return to work and be more productive than before, while demonstrating that the employer is compassionate and cares about the health and safety of their employees.
How CBML Can Help
Shifting the employee from a place of ambivalence to one of action occurs when expectations and boundaries are set by the employer. Our Substance Abuse Services, listed below, are designed to help employers set those boundaries and put employees back onto a productive, healthier path.
Learn more about our Absence Management services below.
Sobriety Testing
Workplace incidents that jeopardize the safety of the employee, coworkers or property, warrant a timely medical assessment. CBML staff are trained to conduct field sobriety testing in addition to forensic chain of custody substance screening.
Appropriate assessment of substance abuse cases will allow for suitable intervention and help reduce the exposure risk for recurrent incidences in the workplace. This is especially significant in a safety-sensitive work environment where the potential for injury is heightened. Organizations that provide services to the public, including health care and transportation, require even greater due diligence.