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Employers

Help Me Stop - Intensive Addiction Treatment with minimal disruption

Alcohol and drug use is rising nationally and its impact is felt in every area of life, including the workplace. It’s estimated that, every year, up to 3% of the total workforce, or 3 million people, go to work under the influence of substances.

But if you’re reading this, you probably already have an employee you’re concerned about.

People with alcohol and drug problems are often in good jobs. In fact, The British Medical Association acknowledges that people in managerial and professional occupations are likely to drink more frequently than those in routine and manual occupations.

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018 shows that around 17 million working days are lost each year in the UK because of alcohol-related sickness. And the cost to employers  is estimated at £1.7bn. 

A report commissioned by Norwich Union Healthcare came to the following conclusions about alcohol-related workplace issues:

  • A third of employees admitted being at work with a hangover
  • 15% reported being drunk at work
  • 1 in 10 reported hangovers at work once a month
  • 1 in 20 reported hangovers at work once a week
  • Work problems resulting from hangovers or being drunk at work included difficulty concentrating, reduced productivity, tiredness, and mistakes
  • The majority of employers (77%) interviewed identified alcohol as a major threat to employee wellbeing and a factor encouraging sickness absence

Studies show that 65.7% of adult drug users and 75% of illicit drug users are in employment. That’s the equivalent of 17% of the total workforce.

According to research, the significant negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse on work performance include a decline in productivity, morale, and overall profitability.

It’s often difficult for managers to support and protect themselves and their companies when a drug and alcohol problem has been identified. It can also put increasing pressure on HR departments and health and safety teams. 

Many employers fall back on their existing employee assistance programme (EAP) to cover the issue of substance misuse. But alcohol and drug problems are very specialised issues and most EAP counsellors have no training in handling these conditions.

What’s more, it’s been shown that employees with alcohol and drug issues often mistrust their EAP, and only 3% to 5% access it when things go wrong.

That’s where Help Me Stop comes in. We provide expert, confidential advice and support for employers and employees. Not only is our Dayhab programme affordable, it’s designed to fit around our clients’ working day. So your employee can continue to work while in treatment.

Benefits of sustained employment

Our intensive, 4 week non-residential face to face programme, minimises disruption to employees work and home life. Alternatively they can access treatment online via our 6 week intensive programme where treatment can be done during the morning between 9.15am and 11.30am or in the evenings between 6.15pm and 8.30pm Monday to Friday.

woman supporting a work colleague
man in beige suit head in hand at laptop, supported by a woman

Supporting employees in recovery also creates higher levels of job satisfaction and loyalty which, in their turn, can directly affect your bottom line.

Employees who feel a high degree of job satisfaction work harder, display more engagement, show up to work with greater regularity, and stay with an employer longer.

Affordable for most

Help Me Stop is a private treatment provider offering affordable, accessible treatment. Even so, the costs may be a challenge for lower-paid staff.

You may want to consider investing in your employee through a workplace loan, so that financial issues do not affect their ability to get well. Alternatively, you could appoint us as your company’s preferred provider for addiction advice and treatment, in which case we can arrange a contractual rate.

Help Me Stop is perfectly placed to help you adopt a safe and responsible approach to workplace problems that arise from staff who have problems with alcohol or drugs.

We offer a wide range of support services for employers, including a free addiction assessment service. And once an employee is on our programme, we provide regular drug and alcohol testing and attendance reports so you can be sure they are committed to recovery.

If someone you work with, or employ has a problem with alcohol or drugs, please get in touch for free, confidential advice.