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The Business Case for Substance
Abuse Prevention
March 2009
Substance abuse prevention is not only the "right thing to do,” both
legally and professionally, but by implementing prevention and treatment
programs you will directly benefit your company’s bottom line. Any
company that can ensure the ability of its employees to make sound
decisions for their company enjoys a true competitive advantage.
And organizations which tie prevention to their business strategy will
inevitably increase performance, productivity and customer satisfaction.
Keep in mind the following statistic:
- According to the National Clearinghouse for
Alcohol and Drug Information, the loss to companies
in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related
abuse by employees totals $100 billion a year.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “How does my company fit into this
equation?” To break the numbers down, each employee with a substance
abuse problem costs their employer an average of $42,000 per year.
These staggering numbers do not include the cost of diverting company
resources, which could be used for other purposes and toward addressing
substance abuse issues.
As you can see, alcohol and drug abuse by employees can cause many
expensive problems for a business, ranging from lost productivity to
injuries, and an increase in health insurance claims.
Overall, when approaching substance abuse prevention, we need to not
only understand its impact on the victim and their work environment, but
also the negative effect the abuse has on your company’s bottom line.
Signs of Abuse:
The following performance and behavior problems are common to many
employed individuals who abuse alcohol and drugs:
Performance
- inconsistent work quality
- poor concentration
- lowered productivity
- increased or unexplained absenteeism
- carelessness, mistakes and needless risk
taking
- disregard for safety
- extended lunch periods and early departures
Behavior
- frequent financial problems
- avoidance of friends and colleagues
- blaming others for own problems and
shortcomings
- complaints about problems at home
- deterioration in personal appearance
- complaints and excuses of vaguely
defined illnesses
It is important to note that if an
employee displays these symptoms, it does
not necessarily mean he or she has a
substance abuse problem.
However, with substance abuse, it’s always
good to take the “better to be safe than
sorry” approach by monitoring and
investigating the signs of abuse as it
occurs. Statistically, the longer you wait,
the more difficult it becomes to help get a
substance abuser back on the right track.
This topic and more can be found within our Substance Abuse
Prevention e-learning
product.
To request more information or for a no-obligation trial of our
products, please email
info@knowledgestart.com or call
toll-free 877.650.0454.
Who We Are
KnowledgeStart is an employee development company which, for the past seven
years, has specialized in online training for its U.S. and global clients.
We are a leading provider of award-winning e-learning programs and platforms
that maximize learning, increase collaboration and retention, and improve
competitive edge. Over the years, we have excelled in
enhancing organizational and individual productivity in topics such as
Diversity and Inclusion,
Generational Differences,
Harassment Prevention,
Business Ethics, and
Substance Abuse Prevention.
KnowledgeStart understands that every decision made by your employees eventually
crosses someone's path somehow and can often have a "ripple effect" across your
entire organization. Even the smallest of decisions can have a BIG impact on
your company and the people around you. Your workplace is an incredibly
inter-connected environment.
Through this understanding and our collective skill sets and experiences with
leading companies, we are proud to deliver innovative approaches to employee
training, compliance, and outcome measurement software.
Visit our website:
http://www.knowledgestart.com
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