...Substance abuse in the workplace can seriously impair proper judgment and on-the-job performance. The use of alcohol, prescription drugs, and even over-the-counter medications can affect decision making abilities and motor skills. It is very common in the workplace and considerably increases. Alcohol and drugs in the workplace affect everyone, not just the substance abuser. Substance abuse increases the probability of the risk of serious work-related accidents. It raises insurance costs. It reduces productivity and lowers the profit. Using drugs impairs decision-making abilities as well as physically impairs people. This is a deadly concoction when on the job. Substance abusers also cost employers money and hurt them financially. Inconsistent work quality, poor concentration and lack of focus, lowered productivity or erratic work patterns, increased absenteeism on the job, unexplained disappearances from the job, carelessness, mistakes, or errors in judgment, needless risk taking, the disregard for safety for self and others on and off the job, files for workers’ compensation claims and benefits, and extended lunch periods and early departures are indications that there is a possible workplace drug or alcohol problem. Prevention of such problems occurs by implementing an effective workplace drug program that deals with drug testing before hiring, drug testing during employment and consequences for violating the rules. Drug testing and educational programs have been proven to...
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...Internet Abuse in the Workplace Internet abuse in the workplace is an issue that impacts employers in various ways including time, money, and productivity. Monitoring websites have found “that more than 50% of employees use the Internet for personal reasons during an average work day” (Young, 2010, p. 34). Research shows that employees are spending about 3.24 hours on non-work related websites in an average day (Young, 2011). Internet abuse issues are so prevalent that employers are faced with how to enforce internet policies and finding ways to restrict and manage this problem. This essay will address how Internet abuse impacts productivity, customer service skills, draining on network resources and legal liabilities. Productivity and customer services suffer when personal internet use is abused during work hours. Internet abuse distracts employees and may reduce productivity and customer service. In result, this can lead to a company’s reputation being damaged or even destroyed (Young, 2010). Employees that surf the internet can slow down response time in assisting customers or fail to meet deadlines and may fail to complete a task effectively (Young, 2010). If these problems are not addressed, they can cause an employee to produce unsatisfactory products or expectations which overtime can hurt or destroy the employer’s creditability. To help prevent an employer from losing their creditability employers are becoming proactive and implementing policies that help employees...
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...Substance Abuse in the Workplace Valencia Simpson HCA250- Psychology in the Workplace Wakita Bradford August 25, 2013 Substance abuse is the overindulgence in chemical and/or drugs that affect an individual’s physical and mental well-being. There are many factors that influence if someone engages in smoking, drinking alcohol, or use drugs. Many of that is based on personal relationships, society, and sometimes the need to feel like a person is part of the “in crowd”. It not only affects the person that is doing the drugs but also the family and friends of the loved ones. Substance abuse is a disorder that is characterized by a pattern of continued use of medications or controlled substances. The portion of substance abuse that I chose would be marijuana or a legal name would be cannabis. Cannabis is often consumed for its psychoactive and physiological effects which can include heightened mood or euphoria, relaxation, and increase in appetite. Unwanted side-effects can sometimes include a decrease in short-term memory, dry mouth, impaired motor skills, reddening of the eyes, and feelings of paranoia or anxiety. Contemporary uses of cannabis are as a recreational or medicinal drug, and as part of religious or spiritual rites; the earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC. Since the early 20th century cannabis has been subject to legal restrictions with the possession, use, and sale of cannabis preparations containing psychoactive cannabinoids currently...
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...With the need to perform at an all time high in the workplace, more employers are beginning to look at the possibility of stimulant abuse within their own company. Illicit drug abuse such as cocaine, adderrall, etc, seems to lend itself to a trend of increased worker’s comp claims involving incident and injury. One study shows that nearly 75% of all drug users are employed, as are most binge drinkers. “Alcoholism causes 500 million lost workdays each year (National Association of Treatment Providers, 1991).” Another study shows that seventy-three percent of all current drug users aged 18 and older (8.3 million adults) were employed in 1997. This includes 6.7 million full-time workers and 1.6 million part-time workers (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1998). More surprising than this data set is the data collected during a national survey conducted by the Hazelden Foundation, more than sixty percent of adults know people who have gone to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol (Hazelden Foundation, 1996). There are two major categories of drugs: those that speed up bodily and mental functions, and those that slow them down. Stimulants such as caffeine, amphetamines, crack, ephedrine, etc; all speed up heart rate, metabolic rate and cognitive abilities. Depressants such as alcohol, and many times anti-anxiety medicines slow down motor skills, and prevent an over active central nervous system. Both used within the context of the original prescription...
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...Substance Abuse Theresa Hicks HCA/ 250 February 3,2012 Susan Hudson Substance Abuse There has been a number of studies done to understand why individuals turn to substance abuse but there has not any success in the studies. There are some studies that say that it is a personality issue that leads to substance abuse which has not been proven. Personality research continues to be a factor in the study of alcoholics and drug abusers. The results suggest that such use is more common among adolescents who show pre-drug use signs of one or more of the following: rebelliousness, other adjustment problems, depression, sensation seeking (Kandel& Yamaguchi, 1985;Stein et al., 1987; Shelder & Block, 1990). None of these factors have been proven to account for the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Studies have had the evidence to show that pre-drinking personality traits are in those that have had a drinking problem since an early age. Evidence also suggest that such people have a genetically determined brain disorder involving the prefrontal lobes (Tarter et al., 1988). These disturbances lead to deficit disorders, pre-alcoholic essential tremor, emotional instability, and aggressiveness not excluding others. When dealing with substance abuse in the workplace individuals do not leave these problems at home. Of the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 12.9 million (74.8 percent) were employed either full or part time (OSHA). There has been many who have had...
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...High Times in the Workplace High Times in the Workplace Substance abuse in the workplace is an issue with far-reaching effects across America that can drive up employer costs, and increase occupational hazards in many industries. While results of recent studies appear to be showing a decline in the overall drug use of American workers, the use of harder drugs such as heroin and prescription painkillers in the workplace is growing rapidly (Fisher, 2011). As employees everywhere are faced with this dilemma, many are looking at ways to address, prevent, and reduce its impact on operations and employee productivity. Positivity Results of Workplace Drug Tests It has been shown that over the last 25 years, drug use among American workers has steadily declined. The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index analysis examined over 125 million urine drug tests as a service for government and private employers from 1988 to 2012. This examined the positivity rates for employers across the United States workforce in both the public and private sector. Since 1988, the positivity rate for the combined U.S. Workforce declined 74% from 13.6% in 1988 to 3.5% in 2012. This result is encouraging for employers; however, the study also revealed some findings that are cause for concern. The positivity rates for amphetamines and methamphetamines have more than tripled over the last decade. As of 2012, this was at its highest level since 1997. Also concerning is that the positivity...
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...their daily meal. Therefore relegating the women to the role of caretaker and this aspect has kept its hold over the society. In the 21st century, sexism has been a covert and subtle process that tries to establish an environment that is less friendly and less accessible to women. It’s clear that sexism is evident in the Silicon Valley and beyond. We also identify that the technology aspect has always been associated with male perspective. Therefore, it has become common to hear a conversation about women who have suffered sexism and sexual harassment in their digital related jobs. Women have also been identified to facilitate this occurrence by been timid when it comes to technology in the workplaces. Therefore, the actions that sideline women from important decisions at the workplace can be seen as sexism in play. Rudman .A.L, Glick. P The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations Texts in Social Psychology, Guilford Press, 2012 It’s clear that various gender...
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...Violence towards Nurses in the Health Care Sector We have all heard before of the abuse and violence that happen in nursing homes; but what we tend to hear more about is how nurses are abusing patients, those being patients that are older, disabled and coming closer to the end of their life span. Patients sometimes receive such negative abuse from nurses, this consists of physical abuse which is defined as any action with the intention to cause any physical or bodily harm to someone; for example this would include a nurse hitting or slapping a patient or even pushing them around. You often hear about nurses neglecting their patients, this is a deliberate action where nurses deprive the patients of what they need, this includes a nurse that purposely withholds a patient from eating, drinking or giving them their medication ("Abuse in Canada's Nursing Homes", 2012). It’s quite sad to see how this action takes place in nursing homes; a nursing home is a place for the elderly to go to because they can no longer take care of themselves and they need the assistance in their day to day activities. The nurses in long-term care facilities are there to provide residents with the care that they need and require, as they cannot do it themselves. Patients will often receive mental abuse from staff, that is, an act with the intention to cause any emotional harm to someone ("Abuse in Canada's Nursing Homes", 2012). You often hear about nurses yelling or threatening patients; this seems hard...
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...The Corporate War on Drug Abuse Presented to Wendy Keller Concordia University John Molson School of Business Comm 212 Section E Prepared by Bilal Sirhan Human Resource Specialist 6355099 November 24th, 2014 MEMORANDUM To: Human resources manager From: Bilal Sirhan, Human resource specialist Subject: Analysis of different policies for alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace Date: November 24th 2014 Here is the report, which was to be completed by November 24th 2014, concerning leading companies’ exemplary policies on substance abuse within the workplace. The study involved analyzing the different substances used by workers and evaluating different approaches that companies across North America take to help these individuals. Although the results presented show that a small percentage of people are actually considered as substance abusers in the workforce, there is evidence that the corporations succumbing to employees abusing drugs and alcohol suffer heavy losses. This even directly affects the economy as a whole in significant numbers. Therefore, we must establish a strong policy and different programs to help these workers overcome this issue. It is my hope that this report will allow our company to have the necessary information to establish the right strategies and support groups to anyone suffering from substance abuse. Please let me know if there are any further questions...
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...Impact of Drug-Testing Programs in the Workplace Paul DiLorenzo Marquette University Americans are concerned about drugs, and employers are no exception. They have been told that drug use in the workforce is common and that workers who use drugs will harm their businesses through increased accidents and absenteeism, or through more subtle, but serious effects of decreased efficiency and productivity. It is certainly true that the abuse of drugs, both licit and illicit, is a problem in America today. A company of any size is, over time, likely to encounter employees or applicants with drug problems. How to respond to this problem however, is anything but clear. Most employers are not experts on drug use or abuse and in the absence of personal knowledge, may turn to others for information they need to make decisions. However, much of the information thus far that has been made available to employers is not helpful and one-sided, with the majority of the information coming from the drug testing industry. This misinformation has lead to the majority of major companies now requiring drug analysis as a condition for hire. Most employers now utilize a urinalysis, hair sample or oral swab as detection for substance abuse. The Drug Free Workplace Act was passed in 1988 with the intentions on providing a safe and healthy workplace for all employees. The Federal Registers (1988, 2000) report release...
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...Substance Abuse Just like many disease or mental illness, substance abuse does not discriminate. Substance abuse can result from sociocultural, due to stress of environmental factors, social economics and unemployment’s. The use of substance abuse whether it is alcohol, prescription drugs, or other method it is a stress reliever for the abuser, helping them escape. The addiction to substance abuse makes it hard to function and work in the real world because the abuser becomes dependent and develop higher tolerance. Those suffering from substance abuse may have genetic been given through it through an addict mother, or suffering through a life crises of depression, stress and anxiety. Psychological Factors There is several reason one would try drugs that may turn into substance abuse, it could be the mere fact of stress and unemployment, abusing alcohol or substance abuse allows the person to be able to relieve the stress and feel at peace. Substance abuse can result from social economics and surrounds, whether it is something we see on television or dealing with peer pressures of friends, family and coworkers. The void drugs fill in your life will take part of you life making it hard to accomplish any tasks. Effects The effect of substance abuse can result in changes in the brain interfering with the ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, controlling our behavior, and this results in poor work performance. You frequently call out of work, running late, struggles...
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...World” Deborah Pagel Kaplan University “The Drinking World” l. Introduction A).Workers under the influence. B). Identifying the risks C).Factors In Employee Drinking D) Solutions and Statistics ll. Alcohol in the workplace has become a problem for many businesses. A).Problem areas that workers have under the influence B) Cause and effects being under the influence. C). EAP Employee Assistance Program. lll. Why do we work under the influence? A). Disciplinary procedures, accidents, death, poor decision making B) Sleeping on the job, loss of production, hang over effect, stress C). How EAP can help the employee and the worker under the influence. llll. Random testing A) Protecting the employers assets B) Approaching the worker under the influence C) Information and educational training lV.Conclusion Businesses today need to realize that there is a growing problem with alcohol and substance abuse in the work place. In the business world today there is a very common problem that occurs with workers in the work place. Alcohol and substance abuse. You wouldn’t think that this is a serious problem, but do you know if the person that’s working next to you is under the influence? Drinking among workers can threaten public safety, impair your job performance and also cause injury to yourself or others. Absenteeism, lost production, lateness are other impaired...
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...Drug-Free Workplace Amazon.com The Drug-Free Workplace Policy enacted in 1988 to keep drug users out of the workplace and already hired employees off of drugs. At Amazon.com there is a well defined policy against illegal drugs, prescription drugs and alcoholic beverages. The writer believes that the Amazon.com policy has implemented a comprehensive drug awareness and education program. The supervisors at Amazon.com are given the proper information to reasonably suspect someone of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Once confirmation is made that a person is under the influence Amazon.com does offer a form of employee assistance program, to help the person, if addicted, to remove the use of drugs or alcohol from his or her professional life. This policy is well presented in its entirety let us take a closer look at keep factors. “By publishing a statement to all employees that possession, use, sales or unlawful manufacturing of controlled substances in the work place is prohibited and the actions that will be taken against violators of such statement”(National Drug-Free Workplace Alliance, n.d.). For legal purposes it is smart to abide by this statement from the Drug-Free Workforce Act of 1988, and Amazon.com has done this. Amazon.com (2005) Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy states, “Open alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs and prescription drugs are not used while at work, in a work status or on company premises. Exceptions for prescription drugs are onsite medical provider...
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...Bullying in the Workplace Introduction In the United States, more than a third of the workforce have been tormented on the job, according to a 2010 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, a research and support group whose goals are to understand, correct and prevent all abuse at work. It has been estimated that about 30% of U.S. employees over the course of their work life experience some type of workplace bullying (Workplace Bullying Institute, 2010). What is Workplace Bullying? “Bullying,” by definition is the process of intimidating or mistreating somebody weaker or in a more vulnerable situation (Microsoft Word , 2007). Research has been done on the occurrence of workplace bullying, and it’s been found that bullying is not a rare occurrence, although it varies in the reporting of the incidents (International Small Business Journal, 2011). It is important to be familiar with the definition and the types of workplace bullying and report it to the proper people so it can be stopped. Types of Bullying There are several different things that are considered to be “bullying” if you experience it at your workplace. Bullying can be aggressive with screams or threats and it can be passive and be disguised and hard to identify. Here is a few of the things considered to be bullying: 1. Verbal Abuse, which is the use of words, to attack, control, and inflict harm on another person, it involves inflicting mental cruelty on another person, attacking the...
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...Drugs in the Workplace Mark Gomez MGT 331 December 7, 2015 Abstract Defining the “drug problem” in the workplace is a task riddled with ambiguity because employers aren’t completely sure how to implement the most suitable policy for their organization. This should be an employer’s concern because drug misuse is a serious problem that can affect the business where the user works and sometimes their co-workers. Successfully tackling the drug issue correctly can benefit the employer by reducing absenteeism, reducing accidents related to drug use and promoting a more productive environment. The focus of this paper is to review current workplace policies on drug use and the challenges it brings employers. Drugs in the Workplace When it comes to drugs, employers have a legal responsibility to look after employees’ wellbeing, health and safety. Employers have a general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 (HSW Act) to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees (Drug Misuse at Work A Guide for Employers, 2005). A good employer will want to help employees. In some cases, alcohol or drug misuse may be used to help cope with work-related stress. If there is a problem with alcohol or drug misuse in your workplace, then this may be part of a wider stress problem. A good starting point is to focus on the scope of the situation. Prescriptive drug use in the Unites States of America accounts for roughly 48...
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