Survey into drink and illegal drug use in the workplace

Survey into drink and illegal drug use in the workplace

Keywords Performance,Alcoholic drinks, Drug abuse, Employees, Health and Safety

British workers aren’t prepared to put up with drink and drug abusing colleagues according to a recent Institute of Personnel and Development (IPD) survey.

The IPD survey into drink and illegal drug use in the workplace found that management most frequently find out about an employee’s substance misuse through deteriorating work performance and/or notification from other members of staff.

The survey of 1,800 personnel professionals also found that more UK businesses are reporting cases of substance abuse by their employees. Almost half (46 per cent) of all firms surveyed had received reports of alcohol misuse by staff in 1997, compared to 35 per cent in 1996 ­ an increase of 11 per cent. Eighteen per cent of firms have received reports of illegal drug taking­ an increase of 3 per cent on 1996 figures.

Despite this, many companies have yet to introduce drug or alcohol policies. Over a third (39 per cent) of respondents said that their organization did not have an alcohol policy and almost half (47 per cent) did not have a drugs policy. Programmes of alcohol and drug awareness for staff are even rarer. Only 17 per cent of respondents report an alcohol awareness policy and only 15 per cent report an illegal drug awareness policy.

Nor are managers and supervisors trained in recognizing the signs of drink and drug misuse. More than eight out of ten respondents say that managers/supervisors in their companies are not trained to recognize drug misuse and a similar number say that managers/supervisors are not trained to recognize the signs of illegal drug taking.

IPD policy adviser, Oonagh Ryden, says that employers have a duty to maintain health and safety in the working environment and cannot afford to be complacent about drink and drugs in the workplace. "The IPD urges employers to develop policies that address alcohol and drug use among their employees", she says."Companies should aim to prevent substance abuse by raising employees’awareness through education programmes on the health and safety risks. They should concentrate on encouraging people with a problem to seek help at an early stage before accidents happen or performance suffers", says Ryden.

Further information from the IPD at IPD House, Camp Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 4UX. Tel: 0181 263 3251; Fax: 0181 263 3244.