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Workplace Report: Many Full-time Employees Use Drugs

Most Americans who are illicit drug users or heavy alcohol users also hold full-time jobs, according to a new report from SAMHSA. This substance abuse can pose significant risks to workers' health and productivity.

The new report, Worker Substance Use and Workplace Policies and Programs, presents findings on substance use among workers as well as workplace drug policies and programs. Findings are based on data collected during 2002, 2003 and 2004 for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Data analysis demonstrates that worker substance use is a serious problem, with an estimated 9.4 million full-time workers age 18 to 64 (8.2 percent) reporting illicit drug use in the past month. Among full-time workers using these substances, 3 million met criteria for illicit drug dependence or abuse. And 10.6 million were dependent on or abused alcohol.

The prevalence of past-month illicit drug use among full-time workers age 18 to 64 was estimated to be 8.2 percent and was highest among workers age 18 to 25 (19.0 percent). Food service workers (17.4 percent) and construction workers (15.1 percent) had higher prevalence of past-month illicit drug use than other occupational groups.

The prevalence of past-year alcohol dependence or abuse was highest among those age 18-25 (18.4 percent) compared with those age 26 to 34 (12.3 percent), 35 to 49 (7.8 percent), and 50 to 64 (4.0 percent). The report says that construction workers had the highest prevalence of past-month heavy alcohol use (17.8 percent), followed by workers in installation, maintenance, and repair (14.7 percent).

Absenteeism

Workers who abuse substances also face additional issues. Illicit drug use and heavy alcohol use are associated with higher levels of absenteeism and frequent job changes, the report says.

For example, nearly twice as many current illicit drug users skipped one or more days of work in the past month compared with workers who did not abuse drugs. Drug users also were far more likely to report missing 2 or more days of work in the past month due to illness or injury compared with workers who did not abuse drugs.

Drug Testing and Education

According to the report, about 43.8 percent of full-time workers reported having access at work to educational information about drug and alcohol use, 58.4 percent reported access to an employee assistance program, and 78.7 percent reported that their workplace had a policy about drug and alcohol use.
In general, people who reported past-month illicit drug use were less likely to work for employers that provided these programs.

In addition, drug testing programs were fairly prevalent. A total of 48.8 percent of full-time workers reported that their employers conducted testing for drug use.

SAMHSA News

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Quickly Treating Employee Depression Helps Workers

Depression takes a hefty toll on the U.S. workplace, affecting about 6% of employees each year while costing over $30 billion annually in lost productivity, according to research conducted recently by Harvard University. In most cases, the symptoms of depression appear gradually and the usual process of treating depression - taking stock of the situation, visiting one's personal care physician, obtaining a referral to a mental health professional and then finally receiving treatment - can take months or years.

However, another recent study appearing in the September 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 298, No. 12) indicates that workers with "telephonic outreach" available, such as your 24-hour Employee Assistance Program, fare much better in accessing treatment and recovering, thus reducing lost time expenses for their employers. The NIMH-sponsored research was conducted by Dr. Phillip Wang, who found that employees who obtained early and aggressive intervention experienced significantly less time away from work and significantly higher job retention than those who remained untreated or for whom diagnosis and referral were delayed. In fact, they missed two fewer work weeks per work year than the untreated group or those who took the slow, traditional route in search of relief.

Also, more workers in the early intervention group were still employed by year's end - 93% vs. 88% - resulting in further cost savings for employers who thus avoided the expense of rehiring and training replacement workers.

The research specifically concluded that employers who provided a "telephonic outreach and care management program," such as a professional Employee Assistance Program, realize a "financial value and positive return on investment" from their outreach initiatives.

The Mayo Clinic has isolated nine symptoms that can indicate the early stages of depression. If you find yourself falling into any of these patterns of behavior, please consider making a call to your Employee Assistance Program for confidential and caring assistance:

• Sleep Disturbances including too much sleep, frequent awakenings and/or insomnia
• Impaired thinking or concentration at work or at home
• Significant changes in weight, either increases or decreases
• Agitation, including feelings of irritability and annoyance
• Chronic fatigue, or a feeling like you're doing everything in slow motion
• Low self-esteem, manifested by feelings of worthlessness or chronic guilt
• Thoughts of death, often triggered by a persistent negative view of yourself
• Increasing detachment from friends and family
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol to escape your pain

Depression can be effectively treated especially if it is diagnosed early. So remember that help is simply a phone call away! Your Employee Assistance professionals stand ready to discuss your situation in complete privacy to initiate the healing process immediately.

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The Web as an Addiction

Adrienne Fox has written an in-depth article on Web addiction for HR Magazine: "Caught in the Web - Employees Who Can't Stop Clicking." Her article discusses both general productivity issues associated with the Web in the workplace and the more specific issue of those people whose Web use goes far beyond garden-variety productivity matters into behavior that rivals that of many other addictions.

Many employers have been grappling with the matter of appropriate employee Web use. The efficiencies and benefits afforded by the Internet - e-mail, research ability, connectivity, etc. - cannot be overstated. Yet the flip side of the coin is the potential for abuse. Web use can certainly get out of hand - not unlike the telephone. In her article, Fox cites several studies pointing to loss of productivity, including a 2005 Gallup Organization report that found the average employee uses office computers for non-work activity about 75 minutes per day, an annual equivalent of $6,250 per employee at $20 an hour. Some estimates we've seen put the productivity drain higher, some lower. A University of Maryland study that we've cited puts the personal Web use during work time at an average of 3.7 hours a week. On the other hand, this study also found that employees are spending more time at home using the web for work-related matters - an average of 5.9 hours.

A secondary and related issue is arguably the more difficult one to address: employees who can't put the brakes on. Some call Internet abuse an addiction although the American Psychiatric Association does not recognize it as such. The jury appears to still be out as to whether this is simply a bad habit, an addiction, or an impulse control disorder. Researchers at Stanford University have been and are continuing to study these questions. To date, they have found some number of people who identify compulsive and troubling trends in their own usage. In one nationwide telephone survey of 2,513 adults, 13.7% of the survey participants said they found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time; 12.4% stayed online longer than intended; 8.7% attempted to conceal non-essential Web use from significant others; and 5.9% felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use.

While experts can quibble over the precise terminology, the fundamental question can be boiled down to this: Is Web use causing problems in that person's life? For many, the answer is yes, and the symptoms are not far different that they are for substance abuse, gambling, or any other addictive behaviors.

Problem indicators include:

• Covering up or lying about the extent of use
• Jeopardizing relationships, work
• Escaping problems and responsibilities
• Losing interest in friends and hobbies
• Trying unsuccessfully to control use
• Being preoccupied with use
• Losing sleep, skipping meals
• Preferring to be online
• Staying online longer than planned

If the issue of web usage surfaces repeatedly with a particular employee, deal with is as you would any other performance issue or problem. How would you deal with an employee who spent too much time on the phone or socializing with co-workers? If performance slips and you suspect there may be an underlying problem, such as Web addiction or any other serious matter, refer the employee to your EAP. As an HR manager you do not need to (nor should you) try to diagnose a problem - keep your eye on performance.

Establishing controls

As with many matters, we favor a moderate approach. Building restrictive Web policies that are skewed to the few problem users would be unfair to the lion's share of the workers who are not abusive and such a policy may hinder your brightest, most creative employees. On the other hand, having a policy that is too loose might leave you open to lawsuits if the tools you use are misused under the company name. We favor leaning more heavily to the trust side than the mistrust side. Remember Ronald Regean's favorite adage: "trust but verify."

Here are a few best practices we've seen:

• Set clear policies for Web use and communicate the policies throughout the organization.
• Give examples of what appropriate Web use is (research, industry publications, professional organizations) and what unacceptable use is (Chat rooms, pornography, games)
• Tie Internet use to essential job functions and job goals
• Show that you are paying attention. Discuss Web use in job evaluations and meetings. Ask employees how much they use the Web, what they use it for, etc. Work together to set time goals.
• Be vigilant but not oppressive in monitoring usage. Have IT look for usage "outliers" and have discussions with the outliers to determine why. Use may be legitimate based on job needs; if not, handle as you would any performance issue.
• Specify disciplinary actions for serious violation of policies. If certain actions will result in termination, be clear in stating this.

HR Web Cafe

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