Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Methamphetamine and Drug Abuse in the Workplace
Don't be fooled with all the talk about Methamphetamine like it is something new. It's not. This nightmare substance that will enslave a user after one hit and turn them into something akin to a rotting corpse within a year is not new. I wrote an article in 1997 when law enforcement and federal government control agencies first started really focusing on this illicit drug. It has only gotten worse. "Ice" is a drug that has received a lot of attention in the media and become a major problem in our area of the country in recent years. What is it? "Ice" (you don't hear the term ICE used much, but it is still used) is the street name for a crystallized form of an illicit drug call methamphetamine hydrochloride. This drug is part of a class of drugs collectively known as amphetamines, which became highly regulated in 1965 to inhibit a black market that emerged from their abuse. There are several different types of amphetamines, and their effects are similar. Just as "Crack" is smokeable cocaine, "Ice" is smoke-able methamphetamine. The chemical properties of this drug are similar to cocaine, but the onset of its effects are slower and the duration is longer. Like cocaine, it is highly toxic and addictive. In general, chronic abuse of "Ice" produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia and is characterized by paranoia, picking at one's skin, severe dental problems, anger and rage-focused behavior. preoccupation with one's own thoughts, and auditory and visual hallucinations. Violent and erratic behavior is frequently seen among chronic abusers of amphetamines.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Work-Life Balance -- Boulogne & Attendance Problems
Is your employee late to work a lot? What about every day? So you don't want to fire the guy because he is a hard worker? Hmm. What to do, especially since he has told you his problem that he is having a hard time with work-family balance. So, what should you do? Believe him and refer him to the work-life coordinator over there in Building C, Room 0U812?
Absolutely not! That would be tantamount to accepting your employee diagnosis and signing off on the treatment plan. Here's the point. Encouraging use of the work-life program may be helpful, but it should not be an alternative or a substitute for a supervisor referral to the EAP which will be able to discover if the Work-Life program is appropriate. The expertise of the clinical professional associated with the EAP supercedes and takes priority over the skills of the work-life counselors. You are dealing with the attendance problem. Only a supervisor referral to the EAP is appropriate as an intervention for the attendance issue. From there, the EAP may suggest that the employee participate in the organization’s work-life program. It is possible that something beyond work-life balance issues contributes to your employee’s tardiness. Your employee may or may not be aware of these problems, their impact, or their cause. And it is likely that other problems would not be shared with you. It is therefore not good practice to accept on face value an employee’s personal explanation for performance problems by suggesting a source of help. Instead, let the EAP take this responsibility after completing an assessment. This will help ensure that the employee is referred to the best avenues of help.
Absolutely not! That would be tantamount to accepting your employee diagnosis and signing off on the treatment plan. Here's the point. Encouraging use of the work-life program may be helpful, but it should not be an alternative or a substitute for a supervisor referral to the EAP which will be able to discover if the Work-Life program is appropriate. The expertise of the clinical professional associated with the EAP supercedes and takes priority over the skills of the work-life counselors. You are dealing with the attendance problem. Only a supervisor referral to the EAP is appropriate as an intervention for the attendance issue. From there, the EAP may suggest that the employee participate in the organization’s work-life program. It is possible that something beyond work-life balance issues contributes to your employee’s tardiness. Your employee may or may not be aware of these problems, their impact, or their cause. And it is likely that other problems would not be shared with you. It is therefore not good practice to accept on face value an employee’s personal explanation for performance problems by suggesting a source of help. Instead, let the EAP take this responsibility after completing an assessment. This will help ensure that the employee is referred to the best avenues of help.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)