How To Spot Addiction In The Workplace

September 1st, 2021

As many individuals begin returning to
in-office work, we think it’s important to take a look at how to spot addiction
within your own workplace. Spotting someone who is battling with addiction
within your work environment often times is not easy. Even spotting addiction
in our loved ones can be difficult and those are often the people we’re closest
to in our lives. So, spotting addiction with someone you might not be close
with can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t signs that you can
be aware of and sometimes recognize.

When someone is battling addiction, they are
often really good at hiding it. This can make it difficult to identify, as they
spend much of their time figuring out how to best conceal their struggles. Of the more than 14 million people
who use illegal drugs, 70 percent are employed. Finding
out how to spot signs of addiction in employees and how you can offer resources
to get them the help they need.

One often telling sign that a coworker is
struggling with addiction is them having difficulty with productivity and
attendance. Sometimes this can include:

• Being late to work, often with no
  explanation.
• Leaving work early.
• Making mistakes on easy tasks.
• Falling asleep on the job.
• Taking longer and longer lunch
  breaks.
• Going to the bathroom more often.
• Using all their days off or sick
  time.
• Having problems meeting deadlines.

Sometimes workers
struggling with addiction will even ask off on holidays, paydays or Mondays as
these are common days where an addiction would be consumed with their
addiction.

Another way that
addiction can be spotted in the workplace is through physical changes within a
colleague. Change in appearance can be a clue such as wearing dirty or wrinkled
clothes, looking disheveled, neglecting personal hygiene. Physical symptoms
like tremors, shaking, staggering, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, alcohol on
breath (or constant use of breath mints and gum), runny nose (or always rubbing
their nose), sweating, clammy hands, or looking spaced out can all be a bit telling.

Personality changes
are also common amongst those battling an addiction. Individuals affected by
substance abuse can show distinct changes in personality, with no identifiable
cause. They are likely to become more moody and irritable, while also having
difficulty paying attention.
They may also lose their motivation
and energy, displaying an “I don’t care” type of attitude.

No matter what the
signs may be, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace are
devastating in many ways. For starters, employers lose money because work isn’t
getting done. On top of that, other employees have to pick up the slack, which
can lead to burnout, stress, and anxiety amongst teams.

As an employee and
possible teammate of someone who is clearly struggling with some sort of
substance issue, there are a few things you can do to help your colleague.
First and foremost, don’t enable them. You should never cover for a coworker,
make excuses for them, or loan them money. Instead, you should try to get them
help by going to your supervisor or human resources department to discuss your
concerns in a professional manner. Provide them with any evidence or anecdotes
you have about the person’s substance use. That way, your employer can
investigate and work on getting them the help they need.

Thankfully, many
places of work have connections to programs that are able to assist their
employees who may be in need of help. If you or a loved one are in need of help
with substance abuse, contact the admissions team at Windmill Wellness Ranch
today.