An Ethical Approach to Substance Abuse

in the Workplace

Presented to the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium

by Jim Priest

Executive Director of FATE

(Fighting Addiction Through Education)

May 9, 2012

Text me your questions or thoughts…

405-202-8863

Coach Vince Lombardi said“Gentlemen,

This is a football!

Ethics: A standard which guides your decision making

So it’s important to define the standards

What is “an ethical approach to substance abuse”?

It starts with “Ethics”

1.a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.

2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group,

culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.

3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.

What is substance abuse?

• The inappropriate use

• or abuse of,

• or addiction to

• alcohol or other legal or illegal drugs

This would include…

• Alcohol (alcohol is a drug!)

• Marijuana

• Prescription meds

• Street drugs

• Inhalants

• Synthetic drugs (e.g. K-2 or “Spice”)

• Cough medicine/Mouth wash

This would include…• The illegal use of legal substances

(e.g. abusing someone else’s prescription drugs, public intoxication/drunk driving)

• The illegal use of illegal substances

(e.g. smoking pot in Oklahoma)

• The legal use of legal substances

(drinking on the job or to excess at other times.)

Why define substance abuse so broadly?

• Integrity is “wholeness”—being a person of high character under all circumstances, whether or not anyone is looking.

• Like Charles Howell….

OSU alum and PGA Golfer Charles Howell

Ethics and Substance Abuse

An ethical approach to substance abuse in the workplace requires more than a “zero tolerance” approach and drug testing

procedure.

It requires: thoughtful awareness

thoughtful attitude thoughtful action.

1. A thoughtful awareness about substance abuse

SPECT SCAN OF NORMAL, HEALTHY BRAIN

Amen Clinics

16 yr. old daily user

Non User Marijuana user

2. A thoughtful attitude

A national survey of 1,000 human resources professionals conducted by the nonprofit Hazelden Foundation revealed:

More than two-thirds (67 percent) of HR professionals today believe that substance abuse and addiction is one of the most serious issues they face in their company.

Yet, less than one-quarter (22 percent) of HR professionals say their companies openly and proactively deal with employee substance abuse and addiction issues.

Compared to their non- abusing coworkers, abusers are

• Ten times more likely to miss work • 3.6 times more likely to be involved in

on-the-job accidents • 5 times more likely to injure

themselves or another employee• 33% less productive • Responsible for health care costs that

are three times as high.

Your ethical compass directs how you (or your organization) view users &

abusers.

Are they people to be fired?Are they people to be helped?

Think about…

• The worth of the individual employee as a person AND as an employee

• The responsibility for the safety of yourself and other employees

• The duty to the company’s profitability and reputation

3. Thoughtful action: personally and corporately

• Start with you

• Move outward in concentric circles

• Think personally, then corporately, then statewide

What are my habits?Picture yourself in the future

An ethical approach to substance abuse in the workplace requires you to

look at yourself

What would you look like if…?

Courtesy of face transformer from perception laboratory

Ask yourself….

• Do you feel like you can’t stop, even if you wanted to?

• Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your alcohol or drug use?

• Do you need to use alcohol or drugs to relax or feel better?

• Do your friends or family members complain or worry about your

alcohol or drug use?

• Do you hide or lie about your alcohol or drug use?

• Have you ever done anything illegal (or stupid) in order to obtain alcohol or

drugs?

• Do you spend money on alcohol or drugs that you really can’t afford?

• Do you ever use drugs for recreational purposes?

Ask yourself: Could I pass the Jumbotron test?

The next circle out is “friends/co-workers”

• Do you enable or cover for them?

• How do you help without being pushy?

• Are you your brother’s keeper?

WWYD?

• Your co-worker and friend Bobby is a good guy with a wife and young child. His name has been drawn for the quarterly random drug test. Bobby asks if you can help him by providing a urine sample he can substitute for his own. He needs his job and will flunk the drug test without your help.

Does substance abuse have a hold on your organization?

For your organization• An ethical approach requires that you go beyond a policy

and include education

• An ethical approach would offer help to users and abusers, not just a line in your handbook about termination or a general reference to an EAP

• An ethical approach thinks big picture: what “messages” are you sending? (parties, jokes, office decor)

WWYD

• Your CEO wants you to immediately develop a “strong drug policy” to test and get rid of the “scumbags” he knows are in the workforce. He wants it by tomorrow morning.

• Currently your company has no drug policy at all and no EAP. How do you respond to your CEO?

Three Steps

Provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Employees helped by an EAP report fewer substance use and mental health problems, fewer health symptoms, better job attendance and greater job satisfaction.

Make sure health plans provide alcohol treatment benefits. Some health plans provide fewer benefits for substance abuse treatment than for treatment of other chronic diseases. Higher copayments and deductibles make it harder for employees to get the help they need

Make sure policies and education go hand in hand. Every employer should have clear policies on substance abuse. But in addition to a list of rules, make sure you know—and all employees know—about the issues of substance abuse. EDUCATION + ACTION is key. The goal is to strike a balance between the safety needs of the employer and the health and well being of the employees.

What’s YOUR fate?

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• 405-202-8863

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Fighting Addiction Through Education