Limitations of Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace - Essay Example

?Limitations of Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace Human resource managers have to ensure they have an environment that is conducive to employee productivity (Stone, 2011: 9). They should ensure all the negative attributes of the working environment are reduced to minimal levels. This will ensure increased productivity of the firm. However, if the HR managers are not keen on these problems and issues, they are likely to lead to dismal progress of the business. The firm will be in dwindling standards of production with low quality products and services. Similarly, there will be less reliance on the products and services in the market (International Labour Office, 2003: 21). With such instances, the organisation is likely to stall since most of the workers are not utilising their resources effectively. Similarly, if the HR managers do not take control of the situation, they are likely to brand the organisation with a retrogressive name. Most of the customers in the market brand an organisation according to the performance in service and product delivery. Therefore, a company that does not give top notch services and products will be given a name that depicts the same (Kumar, 2010: 13). However, accompany that is on the verge of delivering top notch services will spread its brand s in the market. Therefore, the HR managers have to ensure they control all the retrogressive activities that affect the performance of an organisation. Theoretically, alcohol and drugs are substances that divert the normal functioning of a person’s body and mind. Many people do not have the slightest idea of the limitations of alcohol at the work place and they will continue to indulge in the vice. Many organisations have invested substantial resources in ensuring alcohol and drug use in the organisation has been reduced (Millmore, 2007: 12). However, most of the employees that have been using these drugs still stick to their behaviour of using drugs and alcohol. This is due to the end result of using alcohol and drugs for a long time. It is known that people that abstain in the work place will depict different types of behaviour as opposed to the people that use drugs in the organisation. In, many instances, there is often a drift between the people that use drugs and alcohol in an organisation. This is due to their difference in the socialising, communication and their frequent places where they spend their free time. Workers that use drugs and alcohol will tend to be on different sides from other workers that do not consume alcohol and drugs (Ghodse, 2005: 19). In such a situation, it is almost impossible to merge the two groups to work together. This causes a contemporary issue in management of employees as they are not likely to agree on some issues. Similarly, some of the employees that are on the opposing ends will not be at ease with some of the timetables and working shifts. This will adversely affect the organisation as most of the employees will not be in agreement to work together. In some cases, discrimination cases occur in an organisation due to cliques of people that have something in common. Discrimination is an attribute that has affected a large number of organisations as it reduces its performance (Brewster, 2008: 19). For instance, some people are given a promotion due to the indulgence in some activities that are not productive in the work place. For instance, friendship in drinking dens could be extended to the organisation. With such activities, it is easier to promote a person that does not qualify for the post. However, the person is qualified for the post due to the indulgence in drugs and alcohol with the managers (Aronson, 2004: 14). This is a setback to the organisation. First, the organisation is likely to be controlled by people that adore alcohol and drugs. This creates a scenario where the decisions that are made in the organisation depend on a clique of drunkards. Such decisions could stall the organisation, especially when they do not consider the whole issue. Secondly, most of the other departments will be affected with such decisions as they affect the whole institution. With such instances, it is openly seen that alcohol and drug use could be a stumbling block in an organisation. Alcohol and drug use has the characteristic of making people addicted. When workers are faced with addiction to drugs and alcohol, they are hardly controllable. Such workers will have to be dependent on their respective drugs and alcohol for sustainability. When employees are facing Addiction, they have to ensure they have a little percentage of the drug or alcohol in their blood all day (Wills, 2005: 19). As such, they will tend to consume small bits of drugs and alcohol for daily sustainability. This is a health risk to the person and the organisation as a whole. For instance, employees that operate machinery should be sober all throughout the day. However, some of the employees that use drugs and alcohol also operate machinery. Since alcohol and drugs destabilise the visibility of a person, it is most likely that these people will cause accidents. When they cause accidents, there are several people that could be injured, including the same person that is using drugs (Goldberg, 2010: 15). In such a situation, the organisation has to incur costs in treating the injured persons. Similarly, the organisation has to incur costs in repairing the affected machinery. This leads to a financial burden that is pushed to an organisation, in a situation that is emanating from an employee that is addicted to drugs and alcohol. In addition, the organisation risks losing some of its employees (Kearns, 2012: 26). In such a situation, the organisation’s productivity will be reducing drastically. However, without the employees that use drugs and alcohol, the organisation will be stable in productivity, employee presence and it will reduce any expenses directed towards treatment of employees after an accident that has been caused by an employee that is using drugs and alcohol. In essence, this is a contemporary issue that should be dealt with immediately. Waste of resources is an issue in an organisation. First, people that use drugs are known to waste time. People who use drugs will have to slot some time to use drugs or alcohol during the working hours. Though some of the users make use of the breaks, they end up overstaying. Secondly, a lot of cash is spent on sustaining the need for drugs (Randhawa, 2007: 20). The money that is spent on drugs is substantial enough to reinvest in the organisation and increase its productivity. Apparently, people that use drugs waste resources by absconding duty. When they have taken alcohol or drugs in large amounts, they are rendered useless and are not in a position to work. Similarly, such people waste resources by showing fatigue at the work places. There are a number of responses that could be garnered in relation to this issue. This is a dark side of the organisation and it is affecting the organisation. Without such encounters, the organisation is likely to have greater performance in each of its activities (Sarros, 2011: 21). For instance, alcohol is known to lower the concentration level of its users. With lower concentration levels, the employees are not likely to concentrate on their work. With such instances, it is unlikely that the employee will give the best outcome in the organisation. Therefore, there is a need to control such instances in the organisation. Though the control measures are indulging, they will be worthwhile in the future. The control measures will ensure the employees have reduced their dependency on alcohol and drugs. With such manoeuvres, the organisation will create a better environment that will enhance performance in the organisation. However, neglecting such measures in an organisation will develop the problem further. This will in turn reflect a dwindling performance in the organisation as the problem will be getting worse. Therefore, there should be a strategic step that is taken in an organisation to ensure such issues are controlled at manageable levels. According to research, it is an easy task to reduce the instances of usage of alcohol and drugs while in the organisation’s compound. First, the organisation has to make it a regulation that using alcohol and drugs in the compound is prohibited (Bennett and Lehman, 2003: 16). Implementing such a regulation ensures the organisation’s workers do not use alcohol while at their work place. This will maintain the alcohol consumption of the employees as they will have little time in consumption of alcohol and drugs. Similarly, banning smoking in the organisation’s compound will be appropriate. Though some people have a tendency of smoking in the washrooms, instilling strict measures on such will reduce the instances of using drugs in the organisation. Punishment is a way of reducing the use of drugs and alcohol in the organisation. The organisation in conjunction with other concerned parties slots a number of punishments that could be used in reducing the number of people that use drugs in the organisation (Fletcher, 2004: 17). With such propositions, the people that use drugs and alcohol will reduce their consumptions as they fear punishments. With such a manoeuvre, most of the people that are addicted will find it easier to quit using drugs and alcohol as an external force has been influential (Steingold, 2010: 23). Similarly, training and teaching the staff on the need to reduce alcohol and drug consumption could be a way forward. Most of the employees do not have information about the negativity of using drugs and alcohol. However, with such training, they are in a better position to quit using drugs and alcohol. With the stated avenues of reducing use of alcohol and drugs, the whole organisation will be prepared to perform better. In conclusion, drugs and alcohol usage in an organisation is a setback. This causes a lot of negativity as the organisation records dismal performance. Some of the problems that are linked with alcohol and drug use is time wasting, waste of resources, personal concentration, self drive and commitment to the work. Therefore, the employees that use drugs and alcohol will have dismal performance. However, containing such an attribute in the organisation will lead to better performance. References Aronson, J.K. (2004) Side effects of drugs annual 27: a worldwide yearly survey of new data and trends in adverse drug reactions, Elsevier, New York. Bennett, J.B. & Lehman, W.E.K. (2003) Preventing workplace substance abuse: beyond drug testing to wellness, American Psychological Association, New York. Brewster, C. (2008) Contemporary issues in human resources management: gaining a competitive advantage, Oxford University Press Southern Africa, Oxford. Fletcher, C. (2004) Appraisal and feedback: making performance review work, CIPD Publishing, New York. Ghodse, H. (2005) Addiction at work: tackling drug use and misuse in the workplace, Gower Publishing, Ltd., New York. Goldberg, R. (2010) Drugs across the spectrum, Cengage Learning, New York. 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