Easy Small Business HR

Menu
  • HOME
  • ARTICLES BY TOPIC
    • All Articles
      • Background Checks
      • Dealing with Difficult Employees
      • Diversity
      • Employee Benefits
      • Employee Performance
      • Employee Retention & Engagement
      • Employee Theft
      • Employee Turnover
      • Employment Law
      • Fair Labor Standards/FLSA
      • Family Medical Leave/FMLA
      • Firing/Disciplinary Actions
      • Managing Employees
      • Pay and Salary
      • Policies and Procedures
      • Recruitment, Interviewing, Hiring
      • Supervisor Tips and Strategies
      • Workplace Safety
    • Close
  • RESOURCES
  • PODCAST
  • ABOUT US

March 11, 2011 by Dianne Shaddock 2 Comments

Surprising Stats: Workplace Drug & Alcohol Abuse

Workplace Drug & Alcohol Abuse

From chronic absences to poor decision making, drug and alcohol use in the workplace can take its toll on small business owners—in time, money, and morale. If you don’t think workplace substance abuse happens in your business, you may want to reconsider. Here are surprising statistics about drugs and alcohol use that show just how pervasive the problem is:

  • More than 75% of illicit drug users are employed.
  • Almost 80% of adult binge drinkers are employed.
  • About 2% of employed adults have consumed alcohol before the start of the workday.
  • About 7% of Americans drank alcohol during the workday.
  • Nearly 10% of workers have reported to work with a hangover in the past year.
  • Workers who report heavy alcohol or illicit drug use are more likely to have skipped at least 2 days of work in the previous month.
  • Workers who report heavy alcohol or illicit drug use are more likely to have worked for at least 3 employers in the previous year.

Particular industries have higher rates of workplace substance abuse.

  • Accommodations, construction, and food services had the highest reported prevalence of illicit drug use.
  • Educational services, public administration, and utilities reported the lowest.
  • About 16% of construction workers reported heavy alcohol use in the previous month. In entertainment and recreation industries, that number was about 14%.

Small businesses are the most vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace. Why?

Working on improving employee engagement?

EPIC is an Employee Engagement software that gives you the tools and insights to create a workplace culture that encourages engagement, loyalty, and trust.

TRY IT RISK FREE HERE

  • Small businesses are least likely to test for drug abuse.
  • About 90% of employees with alcohol or illegal drug dependence work for small or medium firms.

Don’t let workplace substance abuse endanger your staff, your clients, or your business. If you don’t already have the policies in place to deal with drug and alcohol use in the workplace or if you aren’t aware of your employer responsibilities regarding substance abuse, now is the time to take action. Develop programs to promote a drug-free workplace and encourage those with problems to get help.

For more statistics on alcohol and drug abuse and its effect on your business, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s General Workplace Impact page and Industry & Occupation Categories page.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Dianne Shaddock

President and Founder at Easy Small Business HR
Get more tips on interviewing, hiring, managing and engaging your employees. Dianne Shaddock is the President of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips and the author of the eGuides, "How To Supervise:  What Your Boss Never Told You Before You Took the Job", A Step-By-Step Guide For New and Seasoned Managers and "How To Find and Hire the Best Employees".
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Latest posts by Dianne Shaddock (see all)

  • Build the Best Team for Your Small Business - November 12, 2019
  • Cross Training Staff – Doing the Right Thing For the Wrong Reasons - January 18, 2019
  • Proactive Employee Management Really Boils Down To The Basics - December 21, 2015
  • Office Meetings Do Not Have To Be A Productivity Time Drain If Done Right - November 17, 2015
  • Proposed Changes To Employee Rights Laws: WAGE Act Bill - November 3, 2015

Filed Under: Dealing with Difficult Employees, Managing Employees, Policies and Procedures, Supervisor Tips and Strategies, Workplace Safety Tagged With: drug abuse in the workplace, drug and alcohol use in the workplace, Employer Responsibilities, statistics about drugs and alcohol, statistics on alcohol, workplace substance abuse

Comments

  1. kim says

    November 15, 2011 at 10:42 am

    Indeed, small companies are the most vulnerable to substance abuse in the workplace nowadays. In order to prevent these drug addiction issues, all small businesses should use a faa drug abatement program in the workplace. very interesting post! thanks for the sharing!

    Reply
  2. Ward Laschinger says

    June 7, 2013 at 2:45 am

    Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work. According to Gelder, Mayou & Geddes (2005) alcohol abuse is linked with suicide. They state the risk of suicide is high in older men who have a history of drinking, as well as those suffering from depression.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Be Social, Let’s Connect!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on Reddit
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on RedditFollow Us on iTunes

Recent Posts

  • Build the Best Team for Your Small Business
  • Cross Training Staff – Doing the Right Thing For the Wrong Reasons
  • Proactive Employee Management Really Boils Down To The Basics
  • Office Meetings Do Not Have To Be A Productivity Time Drain If Done Right
  • Proposed Changes To Employee Rights Laws: WAGE Act Bill

Recent Comments

  • Henry Killingsworth on Clearing Up Legal Misperception of Reference Checking
  • Nyangoma Rachel on Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
  • Online Training on Workplace Negativity Is Contagious – Here’s How You Can Control an Outbreak
  • Kristofina Grace on Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
  • Jemal Oumer on Leadership Series: Introduction to Adaptive Leadership, Part 1
  • Earl Rogers on Performance Appraisals for Small Business – Why You Need To Be On Board

Top 25 Online Influencers in Human Resources

HR Examiner Top 25

Copyright © 2023 · Executive Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in