Chemical dependency in the workplace can greatly augment an employee’s productivity and possibly place other workers in danger. Depending on the type of work a person is responsible for completing, working while under the influence of any substance can cause some major problems for everyone involved.
Businesses lose thousands each year cleaning up after accidents caused by employees who are struggling with their addictions while in the workplace. In business terms, it pays to understand, and be able to spot, the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.
Take a moment to read over this short summary highlighting some of the most common signs and symptoms associated with the most commonly abused substances.
Symptoms of addiction that are seemingly universal
Drugs and alcohol as a general issue in the workplace carry a few more common signs and symptoms that are not always specific to any one substance.
- Sudden and drastic changes in an employee’s behavior.
- Notable decrease in job performance or overall productivity.
- Unusual neglect of personal hygiene.
- Highly defensive behavioral patterns when confronted with shortcomings.
While this list of common symptoms are not definitive and do not necessarily mean that there is an issue of drug or alcohol addiction, they are a notable sign of disturbance in the individual’s life.
Cocaine crosses the boundaries of class
Crossing the boundaries of class, cocaine is a drug that observes very few borders. It has been known as the “rich man’s drug,” but crack cocaine is just as prevalent in urban areas as powder cocaine is with the white collar professionals.
Signs and symptoms of an ongoing cocaine issue in the workplace include a sudden and strong euphoric rush of energy, followed by a quick decent, unwarranted paranoia, and tremors. Addicts using cocaine are typically super secretive due to the paranoia associated with its use.
Alcohol abuse in the workplace
There are still plenty of people that do not consider alcohol a drug, but it still remains to be proven otherwise. As a result of the sheer availability and legality, alcoholism often goes a bit longer before being noticed by employers.
Early signs of alcoholism from the workplace perspective include showing up late and leaving early from work, dispersing constant excuses that just do not make sense. Later, employees struggling with alcoholism will miss longer periods of work.
If an employee’s alcoholism is more developed, spotting the issue may be as easy as taking a whiff of their breath. Advanced alcoholism is not hard to recognize, as it is so common.
Amphetamine is a very serious chemical addiction
Amphetamines are some of the ugliest drugs in the realm of use, abuse, and addiction. Methamphetamine (or Ice), in particular, is a highly addictive, powerful stimulant that can drastically affect the norm of a person’s behavior, making it easy to spot in the workplace.
Employees with signs of frequent picking of their skin, hair and tooth decay, and sudden, long lasting energy boost could be using methamphetamine. Meth users also tend to show a general oblivious attitude concerning the issues going on around them.
Originally posted on June 28, 2017 @ 12:36 pm