Substance use in the workplace can lead to billions of dollars in lost productivity and is often a delicate and difficult problem to address, particularly in a remote work environment, one local expert says.
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, lost productivity to businesses attributable to substance use in 2014 amounted to $15.7 billion. With the recent legalization of cannabis, the centre suggested, many employers are re-examining their policies and best practices related to substance use.
At the same time, addiction is a sensitive topic, requiring the right resources to help both employer and employee. Karen Brownrigg, CEO of Ottawa-based iHR Advisory Services, said that if an employer suspects an employee may be struggling with an addiction, the situation has to be approached delicately.
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“Not everybody is going to feel like they’re equipped to do that. You (should) reach out to your HR person in your organization or any individual in the leadership team who has experience having these kinds of conversations, because you don’t know what the reaction is going to be on the other side,” Brownrigg said.
She said it’s important for employees and employers to understand what resources are available.
“We’re human beings and life happens. By proactively putting these supportive measures in place, that will go a long way,” she said.
For example, each workplace should have a 24/7 confidential employee assistance program and clear wellness policies, Brownrigg said.
Employers have an obligation to say something if they suspect that something is wrong, she added, especially in high-risk workplaces.
“For safety-sensitive jobs, perhaps in the construction industry or a medical profession, we have an obligation to ensure that that person is not at risk of harm or harm to others,” she said.
Seeing the problem
A change in demeanour or behaviour, patterned absenteeism and sudden changes in appearance are just some of the signs that someone may be struggling with addiction, Brownrigg said.
“If there have been some changes affecting performance, it’s really important that you engage with the individual and understand if they need support. You don’t want to be breaching anybody’s privacy, but you certainly want to share the observations of the change of behaviour and the impact on performance and on the rest of the team,” she said.
With many workplaces turning to hybrid or remote models over the last few years, Brownrigg said these signs may be harder to spot.
“It becomes harder to identify changes unless you’ve been working with that person in-person quite a bit and you know them well enough to recognize the changes in behaviour in the limited time that you see them online,” she said.
Once an individual has confirmed any issues, an employer will need a third party, such as a physician, to help determine next steps.
“It’s important to have a third party provide that information to the employer. The employer does not and should not know the diagnosis, but they simply need to know what the accommodation requirements are to create a safe and healthy workplace for the employee,” she said.
One Ottawa-area addiction rehabilitation centre offers help to those struggling with addiction.
Peter Kunst, co-founder of Newgate 180, said the centre has a program for “higher-functioning individuals.”
“We found that working people tended to take a backseat to people who they saw as having a real or worse problem. Their needs are quite a bit different than a street person or somebody who has lost everything,” Kunst said, adding he’s had individuals referred to Newgate from family members and co-workers.
In addition to running a treatment centre, Newgate offers workshops with unions and businesses to spread awareness about addiction in the workplace. According to Newgate, not only is 40 per cent of absenteeism in the workplace related to substance abuse, but 10 per cent of employees experience addictions from either alcohol, drugs or gambling.
“Workplaces can become dysfunctional, like a family can become dysfunctional. We partner with a lot of unions and companies so they have a hotline to us,” Kunst said. “Our consultants educate the employer to help them understand that they’re not the beer police. Their job is to look at job performance.”
During these workshops, Kunst said he’s often had people come up to him to speak about someone in need of help.
“We do training for managers, supervisors and union stewards. Having conversations about tough topics like addiction and mental health to train managers to lead with empathy and recognize the signs of addiction,” he said.
An employer should encourage an employee to take paid leave to seek help, Brownrigg said, and keep the employee’s position open for the person to come back to.
“Employers are often concerned about, ‘I’ve got somebody that I’m paying who’s on leave. I can’t afford to pay somebody else to come in and cover off that individual’s responsibilities.’ It becomes important to understand what aspects of the job can be redistributed to others on the team,” she said.
The team should be involved in conversations related to the redistribution of tasks and if it proves overwhelming, Brownrigg said some tasks may need to be parked.
She said every situation demands its own customized approach by leadership teams.
“We’re dealing with human beings and the circumstances surrounding that particular workplace and that individual need to be taken into consideration to ensure the best approach is applied,” she said.
Kunst said Newgate 180 has multiple programs tailored to different needs and, if it can’t help, it will refer the individual to someone who can.
“Our mandate is to help reduce the stigma of addiction and get more people to help.”
