Employees with alcohol and other drug problems cost  employers billions of dollars in lost
productivity and increased health care expenses. According to one study, in comparison with other
employees, a typical employee experiencing problems with alcohol or other drug use:

     Was late three times more often;
     Requested time off 2.2 times more often;
     Had 2.5 times as many absences of 8 days or more;
     Used three times the normal level of sick benefits;
     Was five times more likely to file a worker's compensation claim; and
     Was involved in accidents 3.6 times more often.

Attention to employee alcohol and other drug problems first emerged in the 1970s and expanded rapidly into the 1980s with the spread of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to help employees overcomeproblems that may interfere with their work, including alcohol and other drug use, other health issues,as well as personal, marital, family, legal, and financial problems. Usually based on a written policy statement, EAPs provide a means for supervisors, managers, and union shop stewards to access appropriate expertise and consultation and help with employees experiencing such problems. EAPs also provide for employee self-referral, and in many instances, provide services to dependents of employees.

An important characteristic of EAPs is an emphasis upon constructive rather than punitive treatment of employees experiencing alcohol or other drug problems. The underlying assumption of EAPs is that help for employees will reduce turnover and enable them to resume effective work performance.

Employees who work for larger companies are more likely to have access to the services of an EAP
One study found that 52 percent of workplaces with 750 or more employees have EAPs, compared
with 15 percent for workplaces with 50 to 99 employees. In total, over 80 percent of large U.S. firms have EAPs and over 31 percent of all American workers are employed by companies with EAPs.

An EAP is a worksite-based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of
productivity problems associated with employees whose performance and/or conduct is adversely
affected by personal concerns including, but not limited to: health, marital, family, financial, alcohol,
drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal concerns.

Core activities of the typical EAP include:

   1.expert consultation and training to appropriate persons in the identification and resolution of
     job-performance issues related to the aforementioned employee personal concerns;
   2.confidential, appropriate and timely problem-assessment;
   3.referrals for appropriate diagnosis, treatment and assistance;
   4.the formation of linkages between workplace and community resources that provide such
     services; and
   5.follow-up services for employees who use those services.

The services that EAPs offer include crisis intervention, assessment and referral, short-term problem
resolution, monitoring and follow-up, supervisor/union representative training and consultation,
organizational consultation, program promotion, and education.

There are several types of EAP models.

     The internal program is company-staffed by an employee who accepts both supervisor- and
     self-referrals, conducts initial assessments, and refers employees to community resources for
     counseling or treatment.
    The external program is for companies that want to contract with outside                                provide most  services of the EAP, including assessment.
     The labor union model is staffed by qualified union representatives and serves union members.
     The primary service offered is referral.
     The professional association program includes the possibility of license withdrawal as an
     inducement for members to obtain assistance.
     The consortia model is often used by small or medium-sized companies. It enables these
     businesses to combine resources and efforts for the provision of EAP services. By joining
     several work populations into a single group, small businesses are able to contract with an EAP
     provider to deliver services at a quantity discount.

There are also two major organizations that foster the development of EAPs and strive to improve the quality of EAP services. The Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) and the
Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) are national organizations whose
professional membership includes EAP directors and counselors, behavioral health specialists,
organizational development specialists, workplace researchers, and labor leaders.

EAPs are often part of a larger employer effort to promote the health and fitness of employees.
Programs to promote wellness are becoming more and more common in the workplace. Wellness
programs are generally described as efforts to maintain good health by changing destructive habits and having people take greater responsibility for the state of their health. Employers have come to realizethe importance of educating people about the health effects of alcohol and other drug use, stress, poor eating habits, and other controllable aspects of their lifestyles. The idea behind corporate wellnessprograms is to prevent problems from occurring and not having to treat problems after they have occurred.
 

                               References

How Drug Abuse Takes Profit Out of Business. How Drug Treatment Helps Put it Back (1991)
PHD574

An Employers Guide to Dealing with Substance Abuse (1990) PHD543

NIDA Capsule: Resources to Address Drugs in the Workplace (1990) CAP38

What Works: Workplaces Without Drugs (1991) PHD517

Workers at Risk: Drugs and Alcohol on the Job (1990) PHD521

CSAP's Drug-Free Workplace Helpline: 1-800-843-4971

Standards for Employee Assistance Programs: Part 2. (1992) The Employee Assistance
Professionals Association

EAPs: Value and Impact. (1991) The Employee Assistance Professionals Association