It is an unfortunate fact that many employers are blinkered when it comes to their workforce and the thought that substance abuse, drug addiction, and drug rehab play any part in the life of any of their employees never enters their minds. It is a further sad fact, that it almost certainly has done or does, and if an employer is not wise to that they are leaving themselves open to a whole bunch of problems.
Drug addiction is a disease, and, unlike some medical conditions, there may not be any outward signs that some are suffering from drug addiction. One thing many drug addicts are hugely adept at is hiding their addiction, for example ice addiction, from others. That includes their family, their friends and will certainly include their employer.
The point is, if you are an employer, do not make the assumption that no one within your workforce has any issues, and that instead, their lives are idyllic. This points to the fact that all employers should commit themselves to be supportive of any employee with issues or struggles in their personal life.
The list of possible issues that fall within that is almost limitless but one of them could be drug addiction. As such, you need a documented drug policy that outlines the support available and the policies relating to misuse of drugs within the business. To do otherwise is like looking at substance abuse within your business with a blindfold on and it thus becoming the norm. Here are five reasons why that scenario might happen.
Poor Workplace Culture: The culture and ethos of a business come from the top. Of course, it requires the input and support of those within the structure of a business but invariably it will be the employer who sets the bar. So, if you take no interest in your employees, their problems, and what they get up to in and out of work, then it creates a culture where anything goes, and that includes drug-taking at work.
Peer Pressure: In a workplace where the employer pays little attention to the workforce, it can become a toxic environment. Within that, peer pressure often comes to bear when the majority force the minority to go by their rules. If drug-taking is the norm then it can make some feel pressured into taking drugs, or at the very least feeling threatened into saying nothing about it happening.
Easy Availability: If an employer has poor control, authority, and most importantly, receives little respect, then their workforce will undertake activities that would not happen in a business where those were in place. This can lead to the workforce brazenly meeting their drug suppliers at or near the business. Worse, they may even be selling drugs to their colleagues.
Lack of Supervision: An employer who sits in their office all day or is out of the business at meetings most of the time, has little idea of what is happening back at base. That lack of oversight and supervision can be taken advantage of by employees who wish to take drugs and it soon becomes ‘accepted’ that drug use happens within the business.
No Mutual Respect: This points to the fact if a person does not show any interest or respect to another, then that is going to be a mutual position. Therefore, employees will have little respect for an employer who shows little concern for them and thus drug and substance abuse will continue unabated.
