How We Support Your Workplace
For employers who are struggling to address substance use disorders and their impact on employee(s), Soul Solutions can help. We offer a variety of services aimed at helping employers get their struggling staff members the help they need. Furthermore, we can provide training and other workplace resources to assist your HR efforts. Want to learn more?
The Impact of Substance Use Disorders in the Workplace
Nearly 11 million full-time workers in the United States struggle with substance use disorder (according to SAMHSA).
Very often, these workers’ drug or alcohol issues are directly tied in with their professional lives. These substance use issues put users’ careers and financial wellness at risk, which leads to more hardship, trauma, and stress for which they may continue to self-medicate.
What Does Substance Use Disorder Cost Employers?
In addition to the individual employees, workplace substance abuse has the potential to cripple productivity, derail an organization’s expansion and diminish its bottom line.
The Office of the Surgeon General reports that substance misuse is estimated to cost society
$442 billion each year
Employers absorb the bulk of these costs through healthcare expenditures, absenteeism, and lost productivity.
The Human Cost: Safety and Productivity of Staff
In addition to the immediate and hidden economic costs, workplace substance use disorder can very easily create a toxic corporate culture and puts other employees in danger. Numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor are staggering. Drug and alcohol abuse is responsible for:
- 65% of on-the-job accidents
- 38-50% of all workers’ compensation claims
How to Deal with Employee Substance Abuse
Ignoring the problem or firing the employee can lead to major consequences including sending toxic signals to all other employees or creating undue legal exposure. Instead, employers can help employees suffering from substance use disorder to get back on their feet.
Helping guide the employee toward treatment is a proactive, compassionate, and cost-effective course of action that lets them know they are a valued part of the organization. Employees may try to hide their addiction through direct fear of losing their job. If they feel their jobs are secure, they may be more inclined to seek treatment and get their lives together.
Please feel free to email info@soulsolutions.org to learn more about our employer services, or review the resources below at your own convenience.