Drugs and substance abuse not only kills the addict but also affects the people related to them. The list of people and associates at the receiving end includes the workplace and colleagues as well.

Substance abuse make an individual mentally, physically and emotionally weak and this gradual decrease in the attributes contribute to the risk of making mistakes and under performances.

With high rate of drug abuse being reported in the UK, there are employees who report to their respective offices under the influence of drugs. Sadly, not every time the symptoms are clearly visible to the naked eyes.

The Human Resource personnel needs to keep a close watch over their employees to pick the abusers out and ensure the workplace does not suffer because of their addiction.

In this article we will read about five ways to identify drug abuse in the workplace that will help the HR department considerably in arranging help for the employees in need:

Missing Work More Than Normal

1.Observe the behavior:

There are many behavioral theories that define how the changes in one’s behavior has a great impact on his/her performances. It is for sure that of someone is an addict, he/she would experience the consequences of drug abuse in their behavior.

By keeping a close watch on your employees and identifying any changes in their usual pattern is a great way to address drug abuse.

2.Inconsistency in performance:

The most common effect of drug abuse is that it sets you on a roller coaster ride of functionality. It may either make you workaholic by boosting your dedication or take away all your functional quotient and make you an underachiever.

In fact, these changes can be experiences very frequently in an individual wherein he may perform brilliantly on a given day and pathetically on other. If you notice any sort of inconsistency in the performance, you must counsel the employee.

3.Inability to handle criticism:

Drug abuse makes an individual vulnerable emotionally. They start feeling insecure and bring this insecurity to the office as well. While someone might be very understanding when it comes to criticism, the same individual might show you a defensive reaction when they are under influence.

If you are criticizing an employee and he gets paranoid in response, there is definitely some underlying issue related to drug abuse.

4.Responsibility withdrawal:

Addiction gets at its acute level at the later stages. Here, the addict feels uncomfortable in social settings and withdrew from all the activities that does not involve consumption of drug or alcohol.

Luxury rehab centers Report “Such individuals are commonly expected to back out from responsibilities or fail to perform new jobs.

5.Social and physical changes:

Drug abuse has a lot of social and physical effects on an individual. One can become introvert, depressed or over expressive when under the influence of drug or any other substance.

Besides emotionally, an addict becomes vulnerable physically as well; showing signs of weakness, dizziness, shedding weight and more. Inquire about such changes in employees and identify whether they are suffering from some ailment or are these the side effects of drug abuse.

Addressing drug abuse at the work pace is critical as it not only affects the addict’s health but also bring negative effects on the co-workers as well as the overall performance of an organization.