Substance abuse can have a dramatic effect on workplace productivity. Ivan Lasater discusses ways to address this issue and find solutions.
Ivan is a Grand County Native and Moab, Utah local, who has managed projects and people in the Oil and Gas Industry since 2004.
The Challenge of Management
Ivan is revered for his management style, and every business he’s had a hand in has seen production increases as well as increases in employee morale. But Ivan Lasater’s job presents a set of challenges that a lot of people just aren’t cut out for. The most challenging aspect of Ivan's job is building people.“The challenges I face as a manager of people are many. People are people. They are not always going to meet the expectations I have laid out for them. I have to take into consideration what it is I can do to help them meet those expectations. I have to be perceptive, intuitive, empathetic, patient and thorough when dealing with a member of my team that’s struggling. The most difficult of problems to address with employees is always drug and alcohol abuse and how it affects the workplace.”
A Policy for Productivity
According to the Whitehouse Office of National Drug controlPolicy, a survey was conducted in 2001 that reflected a $121 billion dollar
loss in the year 2000 due to drug use in this country, with a whopping 60% of
that loss attributed to loss of workplace productivity. Ivan believes
this is clearly a problem.
To address this problem, programs have been implemented to
combat workplace substance abuse and policies have been developed to address
the issue. Ivan believes that policies and programs are certainly necessary, but how affective they will be remains in the hands of the employees
and their management. Management could stand to benefit substantially from theproper training and the support of policies to help recognize and address
substance abuse in the workplace. Policies that require regular drug testing
and help to identify issues with employees, hopefully before they spiral out of
control. But what does Ivan Lasater believe is the most effective approach to
this problem?
“I believe the most effective tool I have against substance abuse in the workplace are EAP’s.”
Employee Assistance Programs
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) are a way of identifying
the underlying issues our employees are dealing with and designing a specific
set of options for that employee to improve not only the quality of their life,
but as a result, improve their productivity. Most EAP’s are offered up to
employees on a voluntary basis and are not required for an employee to keep
their job or position within the company. However, an employee who is offered
an EAP may be warned that unless their condition and productivity improve,
termination or demotion may result. EAP’s can address a number of issues which
include substance abuse, alcohol abuse, depression, problems at home, financial
and legal problems, health concerns, or any number of personal problems an
employee may be experiencing. To learn more about EAP’s, click on this link.(EAP’s)
So how do we identify when an employee is having an ongoing
issue or if an employee is just having a bad day or three? The preferred method
for Ivan Lasater is to develop a keen sense of who his employees are as people.
“The workplace is a place for professionalism. But within that parameter is always an element of interpersonal relationships. If I pay attention to my employee’s behaviors, their demeanors, their health, and the things they like to talk about on a personal level, it gives me the opportunity to get to know them in a way that goes beyond professionalism. That makes it easier to identify when a problem is occurring that might have lasting effects on their productivity.”
An Approach to People
It’s fairly obvious that Ivan Lasater cares about the
productivity of his team. But he also cares about the wellbeing of
his team. It takes a manager with a sense of compassion to address an issue
like substance abuse in the workplace. Many employees struggling with drug and
alcohol abuse are still stuck in a stage of denial and won’t admit to having a
problem in the first place. Trust needs to be built and employees need to feel
like addressing the issue of their substance abuse is safe. They need to feel
that their jobs won’t be at stake by simply admitting they might have a
problem. The approach that Ivan takes is to empathize with an employee
and offer up solutions for the employee to consider. Of course there comes a
point where an employee may need to be terminated or demoted for lack of being
effective at their job should they not opt for help.
To sum this up, we’ll take some guidance from Ivan.
His approach to substance abuse in the workplace seems not only reasonable but
compassionate and productive as well.
- Protect productivity
- Implement policies for identifying and addressing the personal issues employees face on and off the job.
- Get to know your employees interests, habits, routines, and other behavior.
- Build trust
- If a problem is identified, offer up options without reinforcing the element of fear.
- Protect productivity
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