Roundtable report on mental illness, addictions and work • Workplace addictions and the employer’s perspective • Blaming stress • Motivation interviewing explained
Employees with substance abuse problems present a sensitive issue for employers. A great deal of responsibility is placed on employers for providing safe working environments, as well as providing accommodation and support for employees with addictions. The following sites provide employers with help on creating workplace policies on alcohol and drug use, understanding responsibilities, understanding the problem and pursuing treatment.
Roundtable report on mental illness, addictions and work
www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca/jan_2003/mentalhealth2_nov11_021.pdf
This paper from the Toronto-based Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health focuses on depression, anxiety and substance abuse with regard to the impact on productivity and health-care costs. The paper states, “the data available to us at this time suggest that in any given workplace, somewhere between five per cent and 10 per cent of the workforce will manifest serious and acute problems with depression anxiety, substance abuse or some combination of these.” The paper poses the question: “to what extent are these problems imported into the workplace by individual employees and to what extend are they engendered by the workplace itself?” It examines in depth the nature of the problem and explores different responses, including the roles and efficacy of employee assistance programs and health promotion programs, and the link between a fair and supportive work environment and mental health. The conclusions also offer elements to include in a comprehensive prevention program.
Workplace addictions and the employer’s perspective
www.ccsa.ca/pdf/extl-004471-2004.pdf
This document looks at workplace addictions and substance abuse from the employer’s perspective and tackles the subject of effective workplace policies. It explains that both prevention and deterrence play integral parts in a workplace policy, and the author states that equally important “is to provide supervisors with training and guidance in dealing with declining performance situations, ‘unfit for duty’ situations, and appropriate steps to take in guiding a troubled employee to assistance.” The paper outlines trends in workplace drug and alcohol policies, highlights key areas a policy should address, provides guidance for peers and supervisors and examines issues associated with the introduction of testing programs. It also looks at implications for policy decisions and covers legal liabilities and responsibilities that employers should cover when creating a policy, as well as how to draft the policy itself. Overall, a very useful resource and well worth the read.
Blaming stress
www.heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/workplace.shtml
This article looks at mental disorders and addictions in the workplace and points to stress as the main culprit. It features some sidebars with tips for employers on how to recognize signs that an employee may be experiencing depression, what co-workers can do to help, and how employers can help reduce workplace stress. Not a lot of depth here, but a useful overview.
Motivation interviewing explained
http://motivationalinterview.org/clinical/overview.html
This website is dedicated to the treatment technique known as motivational interviewing (MI). “Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centred counselling style for eliciting behaviour change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with nondirective counselling, it is more focused and goal-directed. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is its central purpose, and the counsellor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal.” There is also an interesting section on what drives addictions in the first place. A really good resource on an increasingly popular treatment.
Shannon Simson is Canadian HR Reporter’s resource editor. Her Web Sight column appears regularly in the CloseUp section.
Roundtable report on mental illness, addictions and work
www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca/jan_2003/mentalhealth2_nov11_021.pdf
This paper from the Toronto-based Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health focuses on depression, anxiety and substance abuse with regard to the impact on productivity and health-care costs. The paper states, “the data available to us at this time suggest that in any given workplace, somewhere between five per cent and 10 per cent of the workforce will manifest serious and acute problems with depression anxiety, substance abuse or some combination of these.” The paper poses the question: “to what extent are these problems imported into the workplace by individual employees and to what extend are they engendered by the workplace itself?” It examines in depth the nature of the problem and explores different responses, including the roles and efficacy of employee assistance programs and health promotion programs, and the link between a fair and supportive work environment and mental health. The conclusions also offer elements to include in a comprehensive prevention program.
Workplace addictions and the employer’s perspective
www.ccsa.ca/pdf/extl-004471-2004.pdf
This document looks at workplace addictions and substance abuse from the employer’s perspective and tackles the subject of effective workplace policies. It explains that both prevention and deterrence play integral parts in a workplace policy, and the author states that equally important “is to provide supervisors with training and guidance in dealing with declining performance situations, ‘unfit for duty’ situations, and appropriate steps to take in guiding a troubled employee to assistance.” The paper outlines trends in workplace drug and alcohol policies, highlights key areas a policy should address, provides guidance for peers and supervisors and examines issues associated with the introduction of testing programs. It also looks at implications for policy decisions and covers legal liabilities and responsibilities that employers should cover when creating a policy, as well as how to draft the policy itself. Overall, a very useful resource and well worth the read.
Blaming stress
www.heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/workplace.shtml
This article looks at mental disorders and addictions in the workplace and points to stress as the main culprit. It features some sidebars with tips for employers on how to recognize signs that an employee may be experiencing depression, what co-workers can do to help, and how employers can help reduce workplace stress. Not a lot of depth here, but a useful overview.
Motivation interviewing explained
http://motivationalinterview.org/clinical/overview.html
This website is dedicated to the treatment technique known as motivational interviewing (MI). “Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centred counselling style for eliciting behaviour change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with nondirective counselling, it is more focused and goal-directed. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is its central purpose, and the counsellor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal.” There is also an interesting section on what drives addictions in the first place. A really good resource on an increasingly popular treatment.
Shannon Simson is Canadian HR Reporter’s resource editor. Her Web Sight column appears regularly in the CloseUp section.
