Saturday, January 7, 2012

Characteristics of Drug Abusing Employees

Drug abusing employees are the main concern for employers these days. Employee drug tests are conducted in order to avoid substance abuse problems at workplace. However, certain characteristics of drug abusing employees help one to identify such problems. Here are some of them.

Physical signs such as changes in appearance help to identify drug abusing employees. Such people neglect regular grooming activities such as brushing hair, showering, etc. Their priority is only on having drugs constantly and lack interest in any other issues. These changes can occur slowly but happen over a period of months. With increased drug use, you may identify the change in their appearance. Remember that the increased neglect of appearance indicates severity of addiction. Even, they suffer from several physical health issues. Frequent colds, flus, headaches, and other ailments are common in drug abusing employees. Also, they get into injuries and accidents with the lack of proper physical coordination and balance.

Increased absenteeism and tardiness, especially immediately before and after holidays are evident in drug abusing employees. They lack concentration on their work and perform less than their capacity. They also feel dissatisfied with their work. Decreased work performance including changes in work quality and productivity are some of the major signs of drug abused employees. They try to avoid supervisors, engage in violent crime-related issues on and off work. Certain other signs such as excessive mood swings with immoderate levels of talking, anxiety, or moodiness, unusually high medical claims, overreactions to criticism, financial problems also indicate substance abuse problems in employees. If any of these warning signs are found in employees, it is necessary to confirm their substance abuse habit by conducting drug testing. Necessary control measures should be taken immediately in order to maintain safety and discipline at workplace. 

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