Substance abuse professionals help employers with discipline, accommodation
As they grapple with the problem of alcohol and drug use in the workplace, Canadian employers are increasingly turning to the use of a new breed of addiction professionals.
Known as substance abuse professionals, these certified addiction specialists originated in the United States to implement stringent policies around drug testing for commercial vehicle drivers.
In the last year or so, these same professionals have been receiving calls from Canadian employers needing help to deal with the disciplinary and accommodation issues.
Barb Butler, president of Toronto-based consultancy Barbara Butler and Associates, said the demand for substance abuse professionals reflects a void in service not filled by employee assistance program (EAP) counsellors, whose job is to counsel employees with addictions — not to help the employer discipline, monitor and accommodate an alcohol or drug addict.
“EAP people aren’t there to manage discipline. They’re not there to deal with someone in a post-violation stage,” said Butler, a consultant specializing in how to develop and implement alcohol and drug policies.
As set out by the Department of Transportation in the United States, the role of a substance abuse professional is distinct from that of an addiction counsellor in the sense that a substance abuse professional’s primary client isn’t the addict. Rather, the substance abuse professional’s primary duty is to ensure safety for the travelling public.
Hence, a substance abuse professional isn’t bound by the obligation to maintain confidentiality. Indeed, noted Butler, a substance abuse professional’s job isn’t even to provide counselling.
“The substance abuse professional is solely and specifically there to provide a personalized assessment of that individual to determine whether they have a problem that requires assistance or treatment,” said Butler.
“If they do, it’s to advise the employer on the type of treatment and give input into an after-care program on return to work, which would include unannounced testing.”
A number of Canadian operations and businesses have been familiar with the role of the substance abuse professional. Since 1997, Canadian organizations that employ bus and truck drivers who cross the border have had to comply with the same guidelines set out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (see sidebar on page 10).
As a result, they have had to make use of the substance abuse professional. Some employee assistance providers in Canada have also had to certify staff to implement the U.S. rules.
In the past year or two, however, there has been an increase in interest in the services of a substance abuse professional among employers outside the transportation sector. Butler said the growing presence of the substance abuse professional is accompanying an increased interest among employers to put in place alcohol and drug policies, including policies that call for drug testing in certain circumstances.
Because human rights law in Canada considers alcoholism or drug dependency as a disability, a major part of the substance abuse professional’s job is to help the employer determine how to accommodate a worker.
This may include counselling through the employee assistance program, attendance at an Alcoholics Anonymous group, and more importantly, a schedule of unannounced drug tests to make sure the employee in question continues to abstain from drug or alcohol use.
“It’s the substance abuse professional’s role to advise the employer on that kind of followup program that fits with individual circumstances,” said Butler.
“And that followup may be different for someone returning to an office environment as opposed to someone returning to a high-risk construction site. And that’s why the substance abuse professional plays such an important role in understanding the risk in different operations.”
Barry Fraser, manager of substance abuse professionals service at the Integrated Workplace Solutions, a division of Family Services EAP, also said interest has been growing in the past year in the services of a substance abuse professional. In April, he signed on two large employers, and last month, another two workplaces “of considerable size” have come asking about the service.
By and large, employers tend to limit the use of substance abuse professionals to workers in safety sensitive positions, said Fraser.
“There have always been problems with employees who abuse substances. Employers have been poorly served by the range of services out there. They haven’t really known quite what to do with that employee,” said Fraser. Do they simply fire the employee, refer him to a family doctor who may not know to diagnose an addiction issue, or send him to a treatment program instead of a 12-step program?
“(Managers) have been blindly stumbling around trying to find the most appropriate step to take. That’s the niche that substance abuse professionals fill.”
Although Gerry Smith of EAP provider WarrenShepell said he hasn’t seen a growth in demand for substance abuse professionals in recent years, he agreed that employers’ options have typically been limited when it comes to dealing with addiction issues.
Before substance abuse professionals came on the scene, a manager could refer someone with an addiction problem to EAPs in what’s known as monitored referral, usually as a condition for the person remaining on the job. But even then, an EAP counsellor would not breach confidentiality, leaving the manager with little information about the status of the addiction.
All that an EAP counsellor can report on is whether an employee has been attending counselling sessions and following a recommended course of treatment, said Smith, vice-president of organizational health. The manager, therefore, can only look to the employee’s level of performance for signs of recovery.
Anne Marie Ireland, a Barrie, Ont.-based addictions counsellor and substance abuse professional, said the interest in the service reflects a pent-up demand for stricter standards in the people who work in the addiction field. Currently, anyone with a master’s degree can hang out a shingle and call herself an addiction professional. In contrast, substance abuse professionals can only be certified as such after obtaining certain credentials, knowledge and training, again as set out by the U.S. transportation department.
But given the lack of access to addiction treatment and services, particularly in rural areas, many substance abuse professionals such as herself can’t work with such clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities. In effect, depending on the situation, Ireland is at once as an agent for the U.S. transportation department, a consultant for an employer and a counsellor who has to deal with whatever issues the drug abuser presents to her, she said.
Fraser of Family Services EAP said he guesses that the demand will continue to grow.
“I would say the causes are two-fold. One is a genuine concern for employees and perhaps companies that recognize that they’ve had problems with employees with substance abuse and it keeps getting in their face all the time. Some organizations have an employee base and on a regular basis they’re facing performance issues driven by substance abuse over and over and over again. And it’s ‘Whoa. We have to address that.’
“And for others, they may not know how much of a problem they have but they see organizations performing the same work bringing in drug and alcohol policies. And they’re concerned about what would happen if one of their employees is in an accident and they’re the only company in their industry without this service, and what kind of liability would they have?”
Known as substance abuse professionals, these certified addiction specialists originated in the United States to implement stringent policies around drug testing for commercial vehicle drivers.
In the last year or so, these same professionals have been receiving calls from Canadian employers needing help to deal with the disciplinary and accommodation issues.
Barb Butler, president of Toronto-based consultancy Barbara Butler and Associates, said the demand for substance abuse professionals reflects a void in service not filled by employee assistance program (EAP) counsellors, whose job is to counsel employees with addictions — not to help the employer discipline, monitor and accommodate an alcohol or drug addict.
“EAP people aren’t there to manage discipline. They’re not there to deal with someone in a post-violation stage,” said Butler, a consultant specializing in how to develop and implement alcohol and drug policies.
As set out by the Department of Transportation in the United States, the role of a substance abuse professional is distinct from that of an addiction counsellor in the sense that a substance abuse professional’s primary client isn’t the addict. Rather, the substance abuse professional’s primary duty is to ensure safety for the travelling public.
Hence, a substance abuse professional isn’t bound by the obligation to maintain confidentiality. Indeed, noted Butler, a substance abuse professional’s job isn’t even to provide counselling.
“The substance abuse professional is solely and specifically there to provide a personalized assessment of that individual to determine whether they have a problem that requires assistance or treatment,” said Butler.
“If they do, it’s to advise the employer on the type of treatment and give input into an after-care program on return to work, which would include unannounced testing.”
A number of Canadian operations and businesses have been familiar with the role of the substance abuse professional. Since 1997, Canadian organizations that employ bus and truck drivers who cross the border have had to comply with the same guidelines set out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (see sidebar on page 10).
As a result, they have had to make use of the substance abuse professional. Some employee assistance providers in Canada have also had to certify staff to implement the U.S. rules.
In the past year or two, however, there has been an increase in interest in the services of a substance abuse professional among employers outside the transportation sector. Butler said the growing presence of the substance abuse professional is accompanying an increased interest among employers to put in place alcohol and drug policies, including policies that call for drug testing in certain circumstances.
Because human rights law in Canada considers alcoholism or drug dependency as a disability, a major part of the substance abuse professional’s job is to help the employer determine how to accommodate a worker.
This may include counselling through the employee assistance program, attendance at an Alcoholics Anonymous group, and more importantly, a schedule of unannounced drug tests to make sure the employee in question continues to abstain from drug or alcohol use.
“It’s the substance abuse professional’s role to advise the employer on that kind of followup program that fits with individual circumstances,” said Butler.
“And that followup may be different for someone returning to an office environment as opposed to someone returning to a high-risk construction site. And that’s why the substance abuse professional plays such an important role in understanding the risk in different operations.”
Barry Fraser, manager of substance abuse professionals service at the Integrated Workplace Solutions, a division of Family Services EAP, also said interest has been growing in the past year in the services of a substance abuse professional. In April, he signed on two large employers, and last month, another two workplaces “of considerable size” have come asking about the service.
By and large, employers tend to limit the use of substance abuse professionals to workers in safety sensitive positions, said Fraser.
“There have always been problems with employees who abuse substances. Employers have been poorly served by the range of services out there. They haven’t really known quite what to do with that employee,” said Fraser. Do they simply fire the employee, refer him to a family doctor who may not know to diagnose an addiction issue, or send him to a treatment program instead of a 12-step program?
“(Managers) have been blindly stumbling around trying to find the most appropriate step to take. That’s the niche that substance abuse professionals fill.”
Although Gerry Smith of EAP provider WarrenShepell said he hasn’t seen a growth in demand for substance abuse professionals in recent years, he agreed that employers’ options have typically been limited when it comes to dealing with addiction issues.
Before substance abuse professionals came on the scene, a manager could refer someone with an addiction problem to EAPs in what’s known as monitored referral, usually as a condition for the person remaining on the job. But even then, an EAP counsellor would not breach confidentiality, leaving the manager with little information about the status of the addiction.
All that an EAP counsellor can report on is whether an employee has been attending counselling sessions and following a recommended course of treatment, said Smith, vice-president of organizational health. The manager, therefore, can only look to the employee’s level of performance for signs of recovery.
Anne Marie Ireland, a Barrie, Ont.-based addictions counsellor and substance abuse professional, said the interest in the service reflects a pent-up demand for stricter standards in the people who work in the addiction field. Currently, anyone with a master’s degree can hang out a shingle and call herself an addiction professional. In contrast, substance abuse professionals can only be certified as such after obtaining certain credentials, knowledge and training, again as set out by the U.S. transportation department.
But given the lack of access to addiction treatment and services, particularly in rural areas, many substance abuse professionals such as herself can’t work with such clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities. In effect, depending on the situation, Ireland is at once as an agent for the U.S. transportation department, a consultant for an employer and a counsellor who has to deal with whatever issues the drug abuser presents to her, she said.
Fraser of Family Services EAP said he guesses that the demand will continue to grow.
“I would say the causes are two-fold. One is a genuine concern for employees and perhaps companies that recognize that they’ve had problems with employees with substance abuse and it keeps getting in their face all the time. Some organizations have an employee base and on a regular basis they’re facing performance issues driven by substance abuse over and over and over again. And it’s ‘Whoa. We have to address that.’
“And for others, they may not know how much of a problem they have but they see organizations performing the same work bringing in drug and alcohol policies. And they’re concerned about what would happen if one of their employees is in an accident and they’re the only company in their industry without this service, and what kind of liability would they have?”
