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1818Maintaining Workplace Health

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Defining Personal Problems

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From time to time, troubling personal situations arise for everyone. How you decide to handle them can affect your work, your coworkers, and your prospects for career advancement in the future.

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Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

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Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been around since the 1940s, when large companies (together with Alcoholics Anonymous) first started them as alcoholism treatment programs.

continued

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Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

continued

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In order for EAPs to work, supervisors must be able and willing to observe employees and watch for problems.

They must be willing to approach employees who appear to be having problems, refer these employees to the EAP, and follow through.

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Cost of EAPs

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How much does an EAP actually cost a company?

It varies, depending on what type of assistance program is used and what benefits it includes.

The average is about $12-$28 per employee per year.

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Substance Abuse: Alcohol and Drugs

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Abuse of alcohol and other drugs together cost the American economy $276 billion per year in lost workdays and lowered productivity.

Health care costs also add to this amount.

Add in related costs to social welfare, and this amount rises even more.

continued

18-8

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Substance Abuse: Alcohol and Drugs

continued

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Since at least 80% of heavy drinkers work, and 76% of people who abuse illegal drugs work part- or full-time, no business can consider itself immune to the problems of employee substance abuse.

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Alcohol Abuse

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Who is likely to be an alcoholic?

continued

Any ageAny age

Any raceAny raceAny Any

ethnic groupethnic group

Found in all Found in all occupational occupational

groupsgroups

Any genderAny gender

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Recognizing Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace

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Physical signs:

Slurred speech Bloodshot eyes Smell of alcohol on the breath Unsteady walking

continued

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Recognizing Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace continued

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Behavioral signs: Missing work Arriving late or leaving early Taking frequent long lunch hours or

breaks Irritability or other personality changes Avoiding supervisors and coworkers Conflicts with coworkers

continued

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Recognizing Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace continued

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More behavioral signs: Blaming others for mistakes at work. Resenting supervisors and feeling

picked on. Lowered job performance or efficiency. Financial problems or having wages

withheld because of legal action.

continued

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Recognizing Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace continued

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An employee may also exhibit:

Chemically caused memory loss or blackouts

Psychologically caused memory loss or repression of memories that may cause embarrassment or guilt.

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Handling Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace

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One of the most common characteristics of alcohol abuse is denial. Denial is a response involving failure to

confront the problem.

A company policy should be in place, including the use of EAPs.

Supervisors should not try to counsel or advise employees themselves.

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Employee Drug Abuse and Dependency

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Substance abuse is the continued use of a psychoactive substance even though it is causing or increasing problems at work, at school, or in one’s social life, physical health, or psychological health.

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Substance Abuse Terminology

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Dependence: the state of relying on or needing a substance

Withdrawal symptoms: physical symptoms that strike when a drug is not used.

Tolerance: the state of needing more and more of a substance to get the desired effect.

continued

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Substance Abuse Terminology

continued

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Physiological dependence: based upon increased tolerance and the presence of withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not used.

Psychological dependence or preoccupation: when a person craves the effects of a drug and organizes his or her life around getting and using the drug. continued

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Substance Abuse Terminology

continued

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Psychoactive drug: any substance that affects a person’s judgment, behavior, mental processes, mood, conscious experience, or perceptions.

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Types of Drugs

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DepressantsDepressants

HallucinogensHallucinogens

NarcoticsNarcotics

Designer DrugsDesigner Drugs

StimulantsStimulants

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The Effects of Substance Abuse

in the Workplace

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Substance abuse is a very expensive employee problem that costs as much as $200 billion each year.

These costs are mainly from lost productivity and health care expenses.

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Responses to Substance Abuse

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Employee drug testing The Drug-Free Work Place Act of 1988

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Substance Abuse Management Policies

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Company policies should include these steps:

1. Companies must determine their stand on substance abuse by including input from human resources representative, as well as medical, security, safety, and legal staff.

2. Once the policy is developed, it must be clearly communicated to the entire staff.

continued

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Substance Abuse Management Policies

continued

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3. Supervisors must be trained to recognize symptoms of substance abuse and understand how it impairs performance at work.

4. Employees (and their families, when possible) should receive drug awareness education.

5. The policy should include a counseling and referral component that allows employees to seek help confidentially before being referred by management.

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Marital, Family, and Other Personal Problems

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Employees often bring family difficulties to work: marital conflicts separation or divorce difficulties with child care or elder care.

some other family-related issue

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Warning Signs of Personal Problems

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Excessive tardiness or absenteeism Unusual behavior such as crying or losing one’s temper

A decline in the quality of work or work performance

Trouble concentrating A decline or change in appearance.

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Family Violence

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Family violence, which can be defined as physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual violence against another family member, is another problem that spills over into the workplace.

Employees suffering from family violence may also have conflicts with coworkers, and may become so preoccupied with their problems that productivity suffers.

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Financial Problems

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Employees who are under severe financial pressure may experience difficulties, such as lowered productivity and increased stress levels.

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Compulsive Gamblers

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Some employees may be addicted not to a substance, but to the need or desire to make money.

Because of this, these employees may become compulsive gamblers.

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The Cost of Gambling

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In Wisconsin alone, the annual costs of compulsive gambling are more than $300 million and $1.5 billion in Maryland. These include reduced income statewide due to:

Lost productivity Lost jobs Divorce Bailout costs to Criminal acts family and friends Suicide Bankruptcy

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Medical Disorders That Affect Mental Health

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Some medical disorders can affect behavior, physical appearance, and mental health.

Medical disorders in the brain can lead to: Absenteeism Depression Fatigue at work Hyperactivity Low work performance Other

symptoms Inability to pay attention

continued

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Medical Disorders That Affect Mental Health continued

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Major depression, or clinical depression, causes employee absenteeism and poor work performance.

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health problem, affecting more than 23 million Americans each year.

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AIDS and HIV in the Workplace

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Managers must be prepared to accommodate HIV/AIDS-infected employees so that they can remain at work and be productive as long as possible.

They must also create an atmosphere of acceptance among other employees and coworkers, providing information to reduce their possible fears.

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Strategy for Success 18.1:Looking for Warning Signs

1. Difficulty in recalling and following instructions

2. Frequent tardiness or absence from work

3. Frequent disappearance from their job location

4. Taking too many cigarette or restroom breaks

continued

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Strategy for Success 18.1:Looking for Warning Signs continued

5. Taking extended lunch and work breaks6. Difficulty getting along with coworkers7. Increased mistakes on the job8. Repeated accidents off the job that

affect job performance9. Dramatic changes of personality or

work performance during the day, especially after taking a break

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Strategy for Success 18.2:Know When to Intervene

1. Carefully observe the employee’s current behavior to understand how the job performance has changed. Document these changes.

2. Provide an opportunity for all employees to talk about problems in a non-threatening way, to open the door to communication.

continued

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Strategy for Success 18.2:Know When to Intervene continued

3. Create an atmosphere of trust and concern for the employee by listening carefully and with empathy.

4. Encourage the employee to take some action, such as getting counseling.

5. Guide the employee toward developing a plan of action to reduce the effects of the problem at work.

continued

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Strategy for Success 18.2:Know When to Intervene continued

6. Follow up to provide ongoing support.7. Keep in mind that problems may take a

long time to resolve. A willingness to listen and help the employee remain committed is crucial.

continued

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1818End of Chapter 18