Illegal Drugs Workplace Why Bad Business

Illegal drugs workplace. Why bad business'.

Illegal drugs in the workplace

Illegal drug use can have a particularly damaging effect on a company when it is being performed by an employee. In addition to affecting their health and their families, drugs can also affect the companies individuals work in and for the industry as a whole. Drug use, abuse, or dependence can make people be less productive, spend less time at work, physically harm themselves or others, steal, and have a low self-esteem that can influence other colleagues. Health care is likely to increase in such situations and the company might face legal liabilities. Illegal drug use in the workplace is a serious problem in the contemporary society as more and more companies lose significant ground as a result of having employees who consume drugs.

Many fail to identify illegal drug users because they think about a series of stereotypes when coming across this issue. People have the tendency to associate illegal drug use with individuals who are in a poor physical condition and who frequent dubious entourages. However, the reality is that numerous illegal drug users are prominent community members. Illegal drugs users can range from being one's business colleague to being a business owner or a distinguished doctor (America's drug problem).

More than two thirds of the total number of employees in the U.S. are consuming illegal drugs. Drug abusers are more likely to come from a high-income environment than from a low income community. Also, there are more illegal drug users who hold full time jobs. This makes it possible for someone to understand that the probability of knowing a drug user is larger than he or she might have been inclined to believe. One does not necessarily have to frequent questionable environments in order for him or her to interact with drug users. Furthermore, the respective individual is even likely to suffer as a result of his or her acquaintance's drug problem and fail to associate drug use with issues that he or she comes across (America's drug problem).

Drug abusers can cause serious problems at work as a result of their failure to put across productive thinking. Some of these problems can include:

After and side effects associated with drug use affecting their job performance

Obsessing about how to procure drugs as fast as possible and thus investing lesser attention and concentration in actually doing their jobs

Bringing illegal activities to work by selling drugs or by stealing from their colleagues or the company

Negatively affecting their colleagues by bringing their problems to work and making it more difficult for the community to focus on profits

Marijuana is one of the most common drugs that employees are likely to consume and it can make individuals less productive as a result of them having problems concentrating and either taking longer to perform particular actions or performing the respective actions badly and thus costing the company money. Cocaine is second on the list of drugs used in the workplace and it is also likely to prevent employees from doing their job right. "Employers may be faced with lateness, inefficiency and absenteeism, lost time and production from dangerous incidents and damage to plant, equipment and other property."

Drug use in the workplace apparently costs business owners approximately one hundred billion dollars every year. These costs are associated with both the direct and the indirect effects of drug use in working environments.

Direct effects -- Health care is a significant issue when considering drugs in the workplace. "Drug abusing employees acquire 300% higher medical costs and benefits which consequently increases health insurance rates." (America's drug problem) Illegal drug users are more probable to file workers' compensation claim. Many employees divert money from the businesses they are working for and cost companies up to 100 billion every year.