Business leaders, like all Americans, have been agonizing over the economy and longing for its recovery. But it’s certainly not the only recovery that HR managers and executives have been keeping an eye on.
Employee alcohol and drug addiction impacts an extraordinary number of businesses a year – even when the economy is doing fine. It’s estimated that in 2007 alone, more than 23 million Americans needed treatment for an alcohol or illicit drug use problem while fewer than 4 million (less than 17%) received some kind of treatment. The problem is further compounded by millions of people misusing prescription drugs, which also impacts job performance.
But just as the economy will recover, employees can too. And business leaders have a vested interested in helping them.
Why?
As much as I would to like believe that all business owners and executives are motivated by a sense of human responsibility, the truth is: you are financially invested in your employees from the day you hire them. They have extensive knowledge and expertise that is not easy or cheap to replace – and it will cost you at least $10,000 per employee to recruit and train a replacement.
It’s convenient to think that you can just fire someone if they have a problem – but life and business aren’t that simple. In addition to the cost of replacing the employee, you have to first demonstrate that their job performance is not meeting expectations and take steps to prove that termination was justified. In fact, if the employee has a problem that goes untreated they may behave in ways that have far more devastating consequences.
In reality, doing the responsible thing and helping an employee who needs treatment is the better business choice. It’s a medical condition that should be treated like any other illness. And when properly treated, employees that recover not only lead healthy, productive lives but also tend to demonstrate true loyalty towards their organization. We’ve seen proof of this repeatedly as the result of treatment programs like AA, which are extremely effective.
I have tremendous respect for business leaders that “get” this concept, embrace employee treatment and celebrate recovery.
In fact, we’re featuring interviews with several of them on our blog this month – leaders in the chemical dependency and employee assistance program (EAP) fields that understand the magnitude of the issue and the importance of dealing with it.
The insights they have to share are applicable to every business and HR department, so I hope you’ll tune in as we celebrate all those who have overcome addictions and the people that supported them.
September is the 20th National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month). It’s not exactly a holiday, but it does remind us to appreciate the work and successes of those that continue to break ground.
* New Posts From Our Recovery Month Q&A Series:
Recovery: Leo Miller on Why Businesses Should Care (Sept. 14, 2009)
Recovery Month Q&A: John Tuttle’s Take on EAP, Helping Employees and Benefits to Business (Sept. 25, 2009)
Recovery Month Q&A: How the “Two Martini Lunch” Era Enlightened John Pugliese & Lessons Learned From a Rewarding Career (Sept. 30, 2009)
Tags: AA, addiction, chemical dependency, EAP, Employee Assistance Program, national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month, recovery month, treatment
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