Employee drug abuse and alcohol addiction affects everyone in the workplace. If an employee suffering from drug or alcohol abuse is a supervisor, the employees underneath him or her will likely be annoyed by their erratic behavior and negative attitudes. After treatment, the employee will be able to perform better, managing others more efficiently, bringing positivity back to the workplace.

Employees in the depths of addiction can inadvertently hurt their employer. When employees are actively using, they are not good ambassadors for the company. Interactions with clients and co-workers will suffer, and attendance may often be a problem. However, employees sent to get treatment will do and feel the opposite – when a company is willing to lend a helping hand in overcoming their disease, they will “pay” the employer back with increased productivity, and a boost in work performance and company loyalty.

The cost to find middle to high management is substantial, and a missing employee puts a burden on additional employees to perform extra duties until that position is filled. A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that financing these costs can be up to seven times more expensive than sending an employee to a drug and alcohol treatment center.

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Expenses include separation costs for exit interviews, administrative duties, separation/severance pay and unemployment compensation; vacancy costs paid to employees who work overtime to take over additional duties, or to find and hire a temporary employee; replacement costs for attracting applicants, entrance interviews, testing, medical exams and acquiring and disseminating information; and training costs, both formal or informal, for training literature, technology, and time spent learning additional tasks.

Sending an employee with a serious health issue to drug and alcohol treatment is the right thing to do. Legally, companies are not allowed to fire employees due to serious health issues, such as cancer or heart health, but employers are much more willing to let employees go because of substance abuse or alcohol addiction—diseases which should be treated as physical and mental health issues that are as serious as any other long-term, life-threatening illness.