What Agency s Need to Know

Transcription

1 What Agency s Need to Know

2 Alcohol Prescription drugs Marijuana Cocaine Methamphetamine Heroin

3 10 % of our agency employees have a substance use disorders 77.4 % of all substance abusers are employed. Over 6 million alcoholics are on American business payrolls. Anyone can have a substance use disorder. It s non-discriminatory and can victimize any one regardless of age, sex, education, social status or occupation.

4 Substance abuse in the workplace costs American employers $28 billion per year Decreased productivity Increased Time Loss 3x s More worker s compensation claims by 5x s More occupational accidents by 3x s 47% of all occupational accidents can be attributed to substance abuse. 40% of industrial fatalities are linked to S.A.

5 Substance abusers have higher job turnover rates 12.3 % SA had 3+jobs past year. The average cost to agencies for a turnover is one year s salary plus benefits up to as much as two years salary per employee Substance abuse also leads to theft and crime costing agencies/co-workers losses and risk of danger

6 1. Written policy stating employees can t use, distribute, sell or making drugs at work. 2. Provide drug awareness program warning about dangers of drug use at work 3. Administer disciplinary action within 30 days or help employee get into treatment 4. Report employee conviction of criminally violating drug-free workplace rules to the government within 10 days 5. Terminate employment if employee fails to complete agreed upon treatment

7 1. Report personal convictions of criminally violating drug-free workplace rules to agency within 5 days. 2. Complete treatment steps agreed upon or risk losing job. *Sample drug-free workplace P&P

8

9

10 General duty clause requires employers to provide employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm Substance abuse is such a hazard

11 Persons Addicted to Drugs Who Are No Longer Using Substances And Are Receiving Treatment for Addiction OR Who Have Been Rehabilitated are Protected by the ADA from Discrimination on the Basis of Past Addiction. In this Context Alcohol is Considered a Drug. Also Individuals Who are Erroneously Perceived as Being an Addict/Alcoholic or Are Protected by the ADA.

12 Any person directly involved in an intervention with a substance abusers need to understand that any information about the problem is privileged and must be kept private. Employee privacy laws require managers to keep any discussions with or about an employee suspected of having a drug or alcohol problem strictly confidential. A manager can only discuss the issue with their manager or others in the organization with a need to know. consent for release of information is required for healthcare professionals involved with the employee to discuss progress or concerns with the employer. All persons in the know about an employee s substance use disorder are committed to confidentiality. An employee who needs help will agree to get it if confidentiality is assured. It will also be easier for the rehabilitated employee to return to work, knowing that he or she has not been the talk of the agency.

13 Abuse is not typically obvious unless an incident or accident occurs Substance Abusers try to hide their problem Co-workers may be reluctant to speak up Family and friends may be involved in secrecy or denial about the problem

14 Most substance abusers tend to display classic problems and symptoms over time in the workplace. Beware the signs to be described may not necessarily mean that an employee has a substance abuse problem, they could indicate other personal problems that are affecting performance. When evaluating a situation, you must look at the total picture. Do you see more than one of these signs? Have several instances occurred over a period of time?

15 Extreme changes in mood or unstable mood (crying after coffee, lunch or bathroom breaks). Start of shift with euphoric mood that disintegrates over course of day. Agitation, distress or depressed mood reversals after breaks. Excessive trips to the restroom. Changes in work quality after breaks.

16 Fluctuations in productivity throughout a day. Alcohol causes decreased productivity after ingestion. Stimulant use may cause a noticeable increase in productivity, concentration, mood and energy followed by agitation and inability to focus, sloppy or unfinished work as it wears off.

17 Eyes: bloodshot or droopy eyes and constricted or dilated pupils can indicate use and withdrawal symptoms. Stimulants / Alcohol cause dilation (eyes look totally black). Heroin causes constriction (pupils look like pin dots). Smell of Alcohol or Drugs. Heavy use of perfume, breath mints or mouthwash to cover marijuana or alcohol odor. Beware that fruity alcohol like breath odor should be treated carefully because it can be indicative diabetes.

18 Decline in personal appearance. Poor personal hygiene. Excessive sweating. Intravenous drug users often wear long sleeves when the weather does not warrant it to cover marks or bruises from use. Noticeable weight loss/gain. Decreased confidence, increased dependence on others at work to complete tasks, increased anxiety in work setting and or increased complaints regarding personal problems at home.

19 Accelerated rates of absenteeism and tardiness, especially on Mondays and Fridays or after pay days. Unreported absences. Frequent use of unscheduled leave. Unexplained disappearances. Long lunches. Lost concept of time. Coming to work late and leaving early Financial difficulties, wage garnishes, attempts to borrow money from co-workers. Theft of property belonging to other employees or agency.

20 Suspiciousness, overreaction to real or imagined criticism. Complaints about others, being overly argumentative. Violent behavior. Repeated job transfer requests. Withdrawn behavior and or avoidance of supervisors. Inappropriately talkative and or overly exaggerated sense of self importance. Excessive amounts of time on the telephone.

21 Higher than average accident rate on and off the job. Taking unnecessary risks and disregard for safety of others. Difficulty in recalling instructions, missed deadlines or incomplete assignments. Staggering, unsteady gait. Sleeping or dozing off while working. Poor Coordination, slurred speech. Complaints by co-workers on any of the above listed items.

22 Employee: Know and follow company policy about substance abuse in the workplace. Seek treatment and ask for accommodations if needed. Meet performance standards on the job. Co-worker: Report employee performance problems and substance abuse in the workplace so that supervisor s can intervene to create a safe and productive work environment.

23 Mangers: Do not need to be experts in substance abuse because interventions are focused on job performance or a policy violation. Know the agency Policy and share that information with staff Monitor and document employee performance issues. Intervene with employees suspected of a substance abuse in the work place.

24 Managers (continued): Refer employees who report substance use causing work performance problem for professional treatment. Never diagnose or provide treatment personally for an employee s substance use disorder. Ask employees if accommodations are needed when they report having a substance use disorder and keep a record of your supporting actions and recommendations. Administer appropriate discipline to ensure workplace safety.

25 A Supervisor does not need to be an expert on alcohol and drug abuse to intervene with an employee suspected of an alcohol or drug problem because interventions should be focused on the employee s performance problems. Observe Document and Address Specific problems with work performance and on-the-job-behaviors. EMPLOYEE VIOLATING DRUG FREE WORK PLACE POLICY: Document observations and avoid stating opinions or diagnosis. Example John Doe arrived at work late on 8/5/13. His hands were shaky; he had bloodshot eyes and was experiencing difficulty walking. In this example have another supervisor observe and document observations in support of yours and notify the Executive Director who can request work capacity testing and or make termination of employment decisions. Explain the agency s Drug Free workplace P&P. Document employee s response to question Are you going to request an evaluation and treatment?

26 EMPLOYEE SUSPECTED OF A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER: When documenting changes in performance related to a suspected substance use disorder be specific such as Upon examination of John Doe s work 1/5/13 through 8/5/13 I found an attendance decline with late arrival 12 Monday in a row and 6 non-scheduled PTO days following paydays in that time period. When meeting with the employee cite specific incidents to the employee in a businesslike tone. Be clear and firm. Maintain control by sticking to the facts as they affect work performance. Do not rely on memory by having all supporting documents and records available. Explain the company policy concerning performance. Make specific requests for improvements with a clearly stated consequence for failure. Explain consequences if performance expectations are not met. Offer help in resolving work performance problems. If an employee becomes angry or hostile end the conversation immediately and reschedule it for another time.

27 EMPLOYEE ADMITTING ALCOHOL DRUG PROBLEM: If an employee reports that serious work performance problems are related to a substance abuse problem, explain the agency s drug free work place policy. Assure them that the disclosure will be treated confidentially. Present the employee with the choice between disciplinary action and completing assessment/treatment. Document the employee response. Encourage the employee to consult the Employee Assistance Program for referral to a Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment Program. Be supportive, but avoid personal involvement.

28 EMPLOYEE DISCLOSING PARTICIPATION IN TREATMENT OR HISTORY OF REHABILITATION FOR A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER: Realize they have just reported a ADA protected disability condition and document their response to question Do you need any special accommodations? TYPES OF ACCOMMIDATIONS: For Treatment: Allow use of paid or unpaid leave for inpatient medical treatment. Allow use of paid or unpaid leave or flexible scheduling for outpatient counseling or to attend support meetings. For Difficulty Handling Stress: Provide praise and positive reinforcement. Refer to counseling and employee assistance programs. Allow modified daily schedule. Allow frequent breaks. Provide a self-paced workload. Modify supervisory methods. Reassign to a less stressful job. For Fatigue: Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress. Schedule periodic rest breaks away from the workstation. Allow a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave time. Allow work from home. Implement ergonomic workstation design. For Maintaining Concentration: Reduce distractions in the workspace. Provide space enclosures or a private office. Make a Plan for more frequent breaks. Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps. Restructure job to include only essential functions. For exposure to medications in the workplace: Provide extra supervision. Reassign to a position that does not involve exposure to drugs

29 Documenting performance problems Recording on-the-job incidents Recognizing patterns of behavior Keeping a record of supporting actions and recommendations

30 For more information about the drug-free workplace programs visit SAMHSA offers a helpline Workplace ( ), for employees and businesses dealing with problems related to substance abuse. National Drug-Free workplace week is October

31 Cascade Mental Health Care P.O. Box 1445 Chehalis WA (360) X 2255 rosek@cascadementalhealth.org