Substance abuse in the workplace can become a major obstacle to your company’s success. It can compromise your sustainability and productivity. It can also threaten the safety of your employees and customers.

According to the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), each year Australia incurs an estimated:

• $6 billion in lost productivity due to alcohol,
• $2 billion in absenteeism due to alcohol, and
• $1 billion in absenteeism due to drug use.

In a recent study, NCETA also found that a company’s working environment has the potential to either prevent or worsen AOD use and/or abuse in the workplace.

Let’s talk more about that later. For now, consider this…

1. Keep Your Alcohol and Drugs Roadmap Handy

The road to success can be a bumpy ride. You’re bound to encounter sharp turns, blind spots, and barriers along the way. Alcohol and drug use in the workplace can complicate your journey all the more.

But that’s where your drug and alcohol policy guidelines come in. The more comprehensive your policies are, the easier it will be for your company to navigate through trickier terrain.

That’s a lot to ask. What’s more, it’s downright irresponsible to assign that big of a job to people who may not be sufficiently prepared for it. And all on top of their regular work!

Remember our three questions at the start of this article? You have to think of who your designated AOD drivers are, their current skill level, and their improvement plan.

You need drivers specifically trained to understand AOD. Only then can they interpret your AOD roadmap effectively, fairly, and consistently.

Initial alcohol and drug training will equip your drivers with some skills to handle the task.

3. Make Upskilling a Habit

But training is never a one-shot deal. Whether we’re talking multiplication tables, dance steps, or even card tricks, people need constant repetition to make things stick.

Your managers will require even more periodic drug and alcohol re-training to help them master their new skills. That’s how they’ll become full-fledged advocates and enforcers of your policies.

Continual training workshops will keep your supervisors updated on matters concerning illicit drugs. These may include new drugs in the market, newly discovered risk factors, and even breakthroughs in testing and intervention.

All in all, alcohol and drug training programs will put your designated drivers in a better position to identify factors that may lead to drug and alcohol abuse.

They say knowledge is power. And the NCETA study mentioned above, which involved 100 supervisors who undertook drug and alcohol awareness training, seems to prove this adage.

According to the study, NCETA researchers found that the subjects were able to proactively change their workplace environment for the better.

And of course, employees steeped in more toxic work cultures are far unhappier. This means they’re more likely to use alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms.

Armed with this realization, plus their newly acquired knowledge and tools, the managers became more adept at:

• spotting the signs and symptoms of addiction
• identifying workplace stressors (e.g. bullying, which can be a precursor to substance abuse)
• promoting positive habits and behaviours
• reducing workplace risks and discouraging unhealthy habits

As a result, the NCETA study found that the managers were able to effectively improve work conditions and anticipate AOD triggers in their respective companies.

The Best Balance: Training Across the Board

Clearly, specialised drug and alcohol training empowers managers to maintain a drug-free environment.

This kind of deeper dive is best suited for business owners, top management, HR staff, security officers, and other supervisors who can take their turn at the driver’s seat.

Prof. Ann Roche, NCETA Director, says companies will benefit from a wider and more periodic implementation of the top-down approach. However, it is especially advised for industries with high rates of illicit drug use.

NCETA likewise emphasises the value of AOD training for rank and file. In fact, Prof. Roche recommends using an enhanced method which combines the top-down and bottom-up approaches.

She says that complementing supervisor training with employee drug awareness training will make a company better equipped to tackle drug and alcohol problems head on. And companies would do well to roll out regular training programs to keep everyone well informed and on their toes, she further reiterates.