Hope Trust also designs and executes Employee Assistance Programs for the corporates / institutions.

Hope Trust has experience in establishing rehabilitation strategies and facilities at the workplace for workers, coupled with facilitating recovery for senior members of the staff at its treatment facility at Hyderabad.

By
Rajeshwari Luther

According to WHO (World Health Organization), 10% of the population is addicted to alcohol or drugs. Studies indicate that, out of 10 persons who drink, 2 become alcoholics. This means that in a company with 100 employees, there are likely to be 10 who are addicted in the workplace.

This is a disturbing figure since anyone who knows an alcoholic knows what damage the addict can cause.

Addictions at the workplace causes multi-dimensional damage to the company: increased absenteeism, health costs, accidents, inefficiency, eroded employee morale, decreased productivity and adverse affect on the corporate image.

Addiction is now recognized as a disease by leading medical authorities such as WHO and the American Medical Association. Corporates are becoming more aware that a new approach to managing addictions at the workplace has many benefits. The problem employee should be seen as a "sick" person rather than a "bad" person. A systematic method in identifying and then rehabilitating problem employees is a more rational, humane and beneficial alternative to retrenchment.

First, the management needs to know that addiction is a disease, treatable but not curable (it is highly relapse-prone). Then the management needs to understand that an employee who is treated is safer and better than an employee who is still using and not yet showing any obvious signs of impairment.

The management needs to recognize and identify the problem person and then confront him. The concerned employee needs to be firmly advised to shape up, while guiding him to a counseling center. If the response is positive, the employee can be retained, instead of retrenched.

The benefits of such an approach are multi-faceted: This way the company will retain experienced employees, instead of training new ones (who may have an equally bad problem that is not yet known). Such an approach will tremendously improve morale - the person will be grateful, loyal and work with renewed enthusiasm. Moreover, recovering employees tend to self-police and will point out other hidden problem persons. As supervisors, they recognize the problem in others and are unlikely to tolerantly avert their eyes and enable the problem to continue with disastrous results. It is also a fact that most people in recovery learn relationship skills and work more efficiently and work better with others.

Some rehabilitation centers are now offering to develop EAPs(Employee Assistance Programs) to identify and assist problem employees toward fruitful recovery and productive employment. Some are even willing to set up a treatment facility at the company's campus, perhaps at the existing medical clinic by providing expertise, even manpower. The results are proven to increase productivity and safety.

Addiction does not discriminate between class and education. It affects all levels of the hierarchy in an organization - from top management to the lowest level of staff,  alcoholism and drug addiction is a widespread problem but many a times not recognized, sometimes ignored and even accepted as a necessary evil. This enables the addict to continue with his addictive and dangerous behavior. He or she victimizes their colleagues, family and company, often with disastrous results. Wise and rational managements can stem the rot, with specific EAPs designed to tackle the problem of addiction at the workplace and even avert potential disaster.

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