Management, get involved to beat drug abuse

In order to deal effectively with workplace drug and alcohol abuse, top management must become knowledgeable about alcohol and other drugs, according to Lionel Remy, a consultant at Behavioural Management Solutions Limited. Remy was speaking at the Employers Consultative Association’s (ECA) one day seminar entitled: “Challenges of HR Professionals: Managing the Social Issues of the Workplace — Stress, HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse.” He said every person in the workplace can take an active part in fighting workplace substance abuse. “The more people who are involved, the more successful the effort will be.”

Local business or industry associations should be encouraged to sponsor educational seminars on workplace drug and alcohol abuse so that top management can learn from presentations by other employers on how to develop effective programmes, he said. Twenty percent of the public sector workforce are perceived by human resource managers as having alcohol abuse problems. Education and awareness programmes, can vary widely from one workplace to another. “No one programme is right for all organisations. Top management must provide an education and awareness program for its employees that meet the specific needs of the organisation.” He believes that there are no “simplistic” solutions to the complex problem of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace. In fact, he said, no single approach to workplace substance abuse will meet the needs of every organisation.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that 11 percent of the national population have symptoms of alcohol abuse.

In TT, Remy said, all employers can do something about substance abuse to make their workplaces safer and more productive. However, he noted that because substance abuse tends to be a hidden problem, many organisations assume that there may be individuals in the workplace who have or are developing a problem with alcohol or other drugs. Remy said an often overlooked but equally important function of an education and awareness programme is assisting  the non-using worker, who may be directly or indirectly affected by the substance abuse of another. “No other institutional setting in our society can reach so many adults.” To be effective, he added, an education and awareness programme must be an on-going programme rather than a one-time effort. He suggested that as new employees are hired, they should be briefed on the substance abuse policy and made aware of the education and awareness programme. Current emp-loyees will benefit from reinforcement and new information through an ongoing effort. Activities that reinforce safe and healthful work behaviours and attitudes can be promoted to help members remain or become drug and alcohol free, he said.

Remy said employees can take the initiative to increase their knowledge about alcohol and other drugs and their effects. He spoke of “brown bag lunch meetings” in which parents can learn how to recognise signs of substance abuse among their children and invite discussions with local health resources that provide alcohol and other drug abuse treatment services. Remy noted that supervisors are the key players in implementing a substance abuse policy. “Top management must be sure that supervisors understand the policy, are able to explain it to the employees, and can take action where necessary.” He said supervisors have a legitimate right to initiate corrective actions when a worker’s performance begins to decline. “If it appears that personal problems — including the possibility of substance abuse — may be impacting performance, the use of constructive confrontation is one of the most effective ways known to get an employee to seek help. On Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), Remy said, this is a cost effective, job-based programme designed to help employees whose personal problems are affecting their work performance.
 
EAPs, he noted help identify and resolve employees’ problems by providing various forms of confidential short term counselling, referral and follow-up services. He said corporations are increasingly turning to employee assistance programmes to deal with employees’ substance abuse problems. He pointed out that there are over 10,000 EAPs in operation across the country. He said employers can start a drug-testing programme but this is not a simple process and advised top management to consult lawyers who know about drug-testing.