Casual Drinkers a Problem Too

The loss to companies in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees’ totals $100 billion a year, according to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

Remarkably, a research article posted by Christian Science Monitor in 2003 shows that it is the social drinkers who are responsible for most of lost productivity.

This study also found that it was managers, who were most often drinking during the workday, not hourly employees. The study also found that 21 percent of employees said their own productivity had been affected because of a co-worker's drinking. Twenty-three percent of upper managers and 11 percent of first-line supervisors reported having a drink during the workday, compared with only eight percent of hourly employees.

Substance abuse by employees causes many expensive problems for businesses ranging from lost productivity, absenteeism, accidents, and an increase in the health insurance claims.

Impact of Alcohol and drug abuse on employers: There are many impacts due to drug in workplace.

§ Lowers productivity: Studies have shown that substance-abusing employees function at about 67% of their capacity. Problems related to alcohol and drug abuse cost American businesses roughly $81 billion in lost productivity in just one year.

Higher Rates of Employee Turnover: Employees who tested positive on their pre-employment drug tests were 77 % more likely to be discharged within the first three years of employment and absent from work 66 % more often than those who tested negative according to US Postal Service

§ Increases absenteeism and turnover: An estimated 500 million workdays are lost annually due to alcoholism. Illicit drug users are more than twice as likely than those who do not use drugs to have changed employers three or more times in the past year.

§ Causes accidents and injuries: Employees who use drugs are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident and 5 times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim. Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries are linked to alcohol use and alcoholism.

§ Increases an employer’s medical costs: Employees who abused to drugs, costs twice in medical claims to their employers, compared to the other normal employees.

The loss to companies in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees’ totals $100 billion a year, according to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

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