Monday, January 27, 2014

Supervisor Training Won't Work for Methamphetamine Abuse By Employees

Meth is the street name for a crystallized form of an illicit drug called methamphetamine hydrochloride. Just as crack is smokable cocaine, so is methamphetamine. You may see photos on the Internet or on TV showing meth addicts with gaunt-looking faces and mouth or skin problems. Employed workers who use meth many not typically look sick. However, they do have performance problems. The chemical properties of this drug are similar to cocaine, but the onset of meth's effects are slower and the duration is longer. Like cocaine, it is highly toxic and extraordinarily addictive. In general, chronic abuse of meth produces a psychosis that resemble schizophrenia and is characterized by paranoia, picking at one's skin, preoccupation with one's own thoughts and auditory and visual hallucinations. Effects on productivity include occupational injuries and fatalities, increased illness rates and health benefits utilization, lost productivity, low employee morale, workplace violence, theft, employees disappearing on the job, criminal activity at work, quality-of-work issues, domestic problems that interfere with work, and arrests or criminal charges that interfere with attendance. Supervisor skills and supervisor training to help spot Meth users usually won't work unfortunately because the direct signs of drug abuse and intoxication will not be so clear as to warrant a reasonable suspicion test. Job performance, conduct, quality of work, attendance, disappearing on the job are more likely to be spotted. They key is a professional evaluation arranged with a knowledge expert who can pick up in a clinical interview the clinical signs and symptoms sufficient enough to recommend an even more indepth assessement, and then a treatment recommendation. Get supervisor training in substance abuse by visiting http://workexcel.com