Handling Addiction in the Workplace.

RECOGNISING THE EFFECTIVE AND

  INEXPENSIVE SOLUTION TO

EMPLOYERS' ADDICTION PROBLEMS.

Because for centuries alcoholism has been a worldwide problem and because for 90 years psychiatric and pharmaceutical marketing has been falsely proclaiming that drug addiction is basically incurable, consultancy advice to employers has been increasingly focussed on and limited to the employer's “legal vulnerability” under employment law, rather than on any realistic and compassionate solution capable of procuring an economic eradication of the firm's and the employee's own joint addiction problems.

Of course all employers should know their relevant Health and Safety requirements as well as the legal arguments for protecting their organisation against claims from employees, unions and officialdom, so that the first step is to have clearly stated unassailable addiction policies in place which are known to all by virtue of being part of each and every employment contract.

Guidance into the basics of what goes into employment contracts is available from the Chartered Management Institute, the Institute of Directors and other similar employer organisations, but, because of the aforementioned circulation of false information about the “non-curability” of addiction, many otherwise valuable information sources are devoid of accurate and viable information on U.K. based addiction recovery TRAINING programmes, so that many addiction policy statements throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to handling a skilled and valuable employee who may have become a victim of addiction.

The first action choice varies from one industry to another, but is most often the attitude made famous by Trump and Sugar: “you're fired”. However, if this route is followed, it is essential to handle the matter in a fair and professional manner, with adequate proofs of addiction allegations, in order to avoid claims of unfair or contrived dismissal and resultant compensation claims or even union action.

The second action choice is usually seen as disciplinary, combined with offering guidance on where rehabilitation may be obtained and even granting a suitable period of leave of absence in which to undertake the rehabilitation. This can work in some cases of early discovery, but not often if the employee is already a dedicated addict – simply because the addictive substance is now controlling that employee's life – not him or her self, AND because few addicts have the financial resources available for the 11 to 13 weeks required to procure a satisfactory result.

However, the modern employer action choice in enlightened countries and businesses is (at employer cost) to send the addicted individual for residential self-help addiction recovery training - especially if the skills and experience of the particular employee are considered of value to the firm's future productivity and success.

And fortunately it is now clear that, IN A MAJORITY OF CASES, this can be the employer's most economical action choice – provided he chooses the right sort of addiction recovery self-help training programme rather than one of the bog standard “treatment” rehabs offered and priced on a short term attendance basis of 8 to 10 weeks at anything from £1,500 to £3,800 per week. (i.e. from £12,000 to £38,000).

With the cost of recruiting and training the average new or replacement staff member reported by Oxford Economics as approaching £31,000 and with the cost of replacing a diector or senior manager much higher, successful addiction recovery training at £25,000 (which in 70+% of cases delivers a lasting return to the natural state of relaxed abstinence into which 99% of the population is born) is clearly a bargain solution, especially when a fully supportive employer soon discovers there is no more grateful, loyal and productive worker than an employee rescued from addiction by his boss.

50 years of delivering residential self-help addiction recovery training in 49 countries at nearly 100 training centres (including prison units) demonstrates that this is the only regularly viable route to lasting relaxed abstinence available to all employees, both salaried and wage earning.

Furthermore, some residential self-help addiction recovery training centres will even accept addicts on a “Payment by Results” basis.

Although likely to be some 15% higher priced, PbR has the advantage of costing the employer only as little as £9,000 in the event that the addict fails to fully recover from his or her addiction.

To arrange an inspection visit to an East Sussex addiction recovery training centre with an opportunity to meet staff as well as students:

you may wish to phone (01342) 810151 or 811099

between 11.00am and 10.00pm

most days of the week except Sundays,

or e-mail keneck@btinternet.com any time.


S.A.F.E. Is A Not-For-Profit Community Support Group Forme In 1975.


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