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Drug and alcohol abusers
can be spotted by observing them directly, by identifying associated
drugs and paraphernalia, and by reviewing performance. Direct observation
can reveal physical and/or behavior changes, mood swings and long-term
changes in personality or physical appearance. It should be stressed
that even the best trained supervisor is working with subjective
clues and therefore may not notice a drug or alcohol abuser until
he or she is well along the path of chemical dependency.
Literally hundreds of drugs
are abused, ranging from clearly illegal substances with no medical
value, like heroin, to prescription drugs and alcohol, which are
ingrained in society. However, all drugs fall into three categories:
stimulants, depressants and hallucinogenics—or combinations
thereof—each with revealing telltale signs depending on when
in the use cycle an observation is made. The three most troublesome
drugs in the workplace are alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.
An employer should not focus
on discovering “alcoholics,” “cocaine abusers”
or “pot heads” but rather on identifying a broad category
of “substance abusers.” Thus, a supervisor should not
be expected to be an amateur diagnostician but rather should concentrate
on a general approach of whether chemicals may be interfering with
the performance of those working under his or her supervision.
One way of spotting problem
employees is based on the fact that people who abuse drugs or alcohol,
either at work or off the job, perform differently from those who
do not live a drug- or alcohol-abusing lifestyle. And those differences
can be measured either by observation or with the aid of an electronic
database.
Note the performance indicators
of a drug- or alcohol-abusing employee:
• Late to work 3 times
more often;
• Requests early dismissal
or time off 2.2 times more often;
• Uses 3 times more
sick leave;
• Is 5 times more
likely to file worker compensation claims;
• Is 3.6 times more
likely to have an accident at work and 9 times more likely to
have a domestic or car accident away from work;
• Has inconsistent
work quality and lowered productivity;
• Makes more mistakes,
is careless and makes judgment errors;
• Has mood swings
that, over several days, seem to occur at similar times of the
day;
• Is overly reactive
to supervisory admonishments or compliments;
• Deliberately avoids
co-workers and supervisors, especially supervisors who have been
trained to spot abusers;
• Has deteriorating
personal appearance, hygiene and ability to get along with co-workers;
• Inspires poor morale
and reduced productivity among co-workers as a result of their “covering”
for the abuser or their frustration with management ignorance of
or inaction to what they perceive to be an obvious drug and/or alcohol
problem;
• Takes needless risks
in an attempt to raise productivity after supervisory admonishments;
• Carelessly handles
and/or maintains machinery, equipment or office supplies;
• Disregards co-workers’
safety;
• Increasingly complains
about problems at home or with family or friends;
• Has frequent and recurring
financial problems, including borrowing from co-workers or supervisors
to “get to payday.”
Close observation and documentation
of the signs of drug and alcohol abuse should be asked only of supervisors
who have had training in such techniques. A clear policy statement
in combination with training of supervisors will allow for the identification
and intervention of drug and/or alcohol dependent workers in a manner
consistent with law and good personnel practices.
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