An estimated 14.8 million Americans use illegal substances, and approximately 70 percent of them are gainfully employed. In addition, 24 percent of employees confessed to drinking on the job in the past year. Knowing this, it’s clear that human resource departments can no longer ignore addiction.

In many cases, addiction isn’t truly ignored. Once an employee’s struggle with drug or alcohol use is known, it often gets plenty of attention — the wrong kind. Rumors spread, and misconceptions about addiction create stigmas. For instance, there may be gossip about the person being irresponsible or lacking self-control. But addiction is a disease, and the same stigmas wouldn’t apply to someone with diabetes or hypertension.

Reframing the Addiction Perception

To effectively address addiction in the workplace, education is key. HR departments must be trained on the disease model of addiction to shift perceptions and overcome any stigmas attached to it. People might be surprised to learn, for example, that many individuals who are recovering are also highly successful, from musicians and entertainers to doctors and C-suite executives.
Once HR departments and employees understand that addiction is actually a disease and not a moral failing, your company will be positioned to implement an open-door policy for recovering employees that benefits both the individuals and the company as a whole.

Creating a Tolerant Environment

No matter how many procedures you put in place, they’ll fail if the company culture isn’t tolerant. There are many brilliant people in all fields who have addictions and are excellent at what they do when they’re clean and sober. Enacting policies to support such employees opens your company’s doors to oft-overlooked talent.

A tolerant corporate culture is one with successful people at all levels who are in recovery. Of course, many people aren’t recovering from addiction, but a tolerant culture means those who are don’t hide and aren’t afraid to be honest about their struggles. Addiction has lost its stigma.

When individuals struggling with addiction feel confident that their employers understand and will help in their time of need, they’re more likely to return after treatment and be loyal, productive members of the workforce.

An Open Door Benefits Everyone

When people with addiction relapse and feel they need to hide it, their work quality suffers, their attendance can become spotty, and their overall performance declines. They’re also more likely to get fired, which not only strains their stressful situation, but it also costs the company the time it invested in them.

Even if the individual isn’t fired, a lot of time, money, and productivity can be lost on reprimands and write-ups — these things, too, can compound the stress of addiction and increase the risk of further relapses.

But when a company’s culture is one of tolerance and support, employees feel encouraged to come forward earlier and get better faster, knowing their jobs and livelihoods are secure. An open-door policy also helps improve employees’ relationships with friends, family, and loved ones outside the office. The earlier they seek intervention, the better.

Let Employees Know You Support Them

Of course, no matter how open your policies are, employees only benefit if they know about them. New employees, or even long-term employees, might not realize that the help they need is close at hand.

Measures like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) make it easier to protect employees as they address addiction.

Addiction should be part of the employee handbook, but the company culture and atmosphere also need to reflect openness about the issue. What better way to let recovering people know they’re appreciated than to make support a central theme of the workplace environment?

Trust and integrity go both ways. Assisting employees on their journey to recovery helps you retain top talent and cultivate an atmosphere of loyalty. Let your talented people know they’re in good company — and that they don’t have to fear being stigmatized for a disease that millions of Americans share.

Dr. Mark Calarco is the national medical director of American Addiction Centers, a leader in drug and alcohol abuse treatment. He is a pioneer in treating hormone imbalances in recovering individuals and has served as a board member for the State of Tennessee Medical Laboratory Board and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Calarco was also the first board-certified anti-aging and regenerative medicine specialist in Tennessee.