How to Reach Out to an Employee that Needs Treatment

When addiction is present in the workplace, there can be numerous detrimental effects for the entire company.

Sadly, addiction can cause someone to neglect their work responsibilities. They are more likely to steal from other employees or lie about their tasks and blame other workers as well. There are ways to help your employee overcome this vicious disease. You should look for the common warning signs of addiction in the workplace if you start to notice that things aren’t going smoothly. Allowing your employee to take time off of work to complete an addiction treatment program will ultimately help your entire company, as well as allow this individual to truly recover before it’s too late. Banyan’s drug and alcohol treatment center in Chicago discusses the importance of reaching out to your employee about getting them help for addiction.

Signs of Employee Addiction

Someone who is experiencing a full-blown addiction will inevitably show signs of their disease in the workplace. If your employee is constantly showing up late or if they are making excuses for unfinished work, there may be a serious issue that should be addressed. If other employees are concerned about an individual’s well-being and there are frequent outbursts from this person, they could be dealing with substance abuse. By approaching your employee in a non-confrontational way, you will be able to determine exactly what is causing this behavior and this can spark the treatment process if addiction is present.

How to Show Support

Employees must be willing to enter drug and alcohol treatment, and the employer cannot force them to do so. However, there can be serious consequences if they continue the substance abuse and not get the help that was offered. Employers can show support by first becoming educated in the addiction treatment process and allow your employee to take the time to get sober. Checking in with this person will help keep the communication strong and show your employee that you care about their progress. As a leader, it’s important to have that first conversation with your employee because you could be the driving factor for treatment.