How Drugs and Alcohol Can impact work
Saturday, October 15th, 2011As well as an adverse affect on society, alcohol and drugs also modify the workplace. There are employees who turn up to operate impacted by either alcohol or drugs, or even both. As an employer there are ways to cope with these problems, and getting the recommendation from Safety Management Consulting is a good start.
Absences
An employee who is having issues with either alcohol or drugs will often be absent from work. This can be a problem for both them and the company. Through missing many days of work they will use up any sick leave benefits, then when they have to take leave for genuinely being unwell they will not be paid, and eventually an employer will be instructed to let them go. For the company a worker being absent too often includes a negative impact simply because they need to pay sick leave or any other benefits for days where jobs are not done, and the degree of productivity decreases, therefore effecting profits.
Accidents
Those that are afflicted by substance abuse come with an increased risk of workplace accidents. They are not only a risk to themselves but additionally to other staff. Someone who is affected by drugs or alcohol isn’t in a fit condition to make use of machinery of any kind, and many workplaces involve the use of hazardous equipment which should only be used whenever a body’s fully aware.
Reduced productivity
Somebody that is affected by alcohol or drugs won’t have the ability to work on their full capacity and if this continues you will see a decrease in overall productivity leading to a reduction in company profits. An inefficient employee may have a flow on effect through the whole company. If any personnel are waiting about the completing a part of a task which an individual can not perform, it may reduce the whole job, which might in fact not get completed promptly or at all.
Erratic behaviour
A person who is affected by alcohol or drugs might be experiencing erratic or even violent behaviour towards other personnel or managers. In this instance it may become dangerous to have them at work and management is offered no option apart from to transmit them home as well as fire them. An affected person is going to be unpredictable, unreliable, will often be late or absent and in this state won’t be of any benefit to the organization.
Staff feeling unsafe
Other personnel may feel unsafe or uncomfortable around an intoxicated person, which is certainly not fair on staff to need to operate in these kinds of conditions where they think threatened or uneasy. Staff may feel that they have to get the slack with this person which can lead to job dissatisfaction and dysfunction inside the workplace. Management has a responsibility for their staff and cannot have employees feeling unsafe. Identifying and dealing with staff with drug abuse is something that cannot be ignored.