The workplace is more than a means to a paycheck. It's an extended family and part of who you are, according to Beth Lindamood, senior analyst at Great American Insurance Company, a Cincinnati-based firm that creates drug programs for the workplace. One in 10 workers either uses drugs or abuses alcohol, Lindamood says, and ignoring the problem doesn't help. You're dealing with illegal behavior and it puts your life at risk. By turning your back, you become an enabler.
Operators can help weed out potential employees by being blunt.
Employer-sponsored programs give workers an opportunity to change their behavior and keep the job. Restaurant owners who institute drug-rehabilitation programs aren't making judgments, Lindamood says. Drug programs offer help, not a pink slip, and take the burden off coworkers.