Can I Help My Employee Get Into a Professional Drug Treatment Program?
A business is only as good and as successful as its employees. When employees are struggling, your company is not realizing its full potential from those individuals. One of the ways you can help, as an employer, is to provide your team with the support they need. For some, that means guidance in getting into a professional drug treatment program.
Employers may not always want to have these conversations. You may know that it is within your right to terminate an employee who’s exposing others on the job to risks due to intoxication. But, what if you want to help instead?
At Victory Addiction Recovery Center, we offer a comprehensive professional drug treatment program in Louisiana. It’s a program designed to support employees in difficult situations to get help for their substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring disorders, while also teaching them the strategies they need to deal with high-stress jobs.
Strategies to Help Your Employees Get SUD Treatment
When your employees are battling an SUD, they are facing a disease like any other. What would you do if you learned your employee was battling cancer or was diagnosed with a heart rhythm issue? You would support them as much as you could. Here are several ways to do that.
Create a Supportive Culture
Substance abuse is a physical and mental health disease. Yet, it’s often one that’s riddled with stigma. You certainly don’t want to encourage people to engage in drug or alcohol use, but make sure that your team knows they are important to you. They are considered essential to your business. How can you create a supportive culture without the wrong impression?
- Avoid words like “drug addict” or “getting clean.”
- Include mental health support in your health care offerings with specific solutions for substance use disorder care.
- Make sure your managers know how to talk to employees who are facing challenges. Your employee doesn’t always have to tell you about their health problem. Yet, if your team knows how to start the conversation, you open the door for your employees to feel comfortable doing so.
When you create a positive environment like this, people can come to you when they face challenges.
Know the Rules from a Legal Perspective
Another factor to consider is the legalities of what you can and cannot do as an employer.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act: The ADA law applies to all companies with 15 or more employees. It prohibits you from discriminating against an employee who has a disability when it comes to maintaining employment. SUD is a covered disability, but only when that person is in treatment and not using substances.
- Family Medical Leave Act: The FMLA rules require that you provide an employee with time off to deal with their medical needs. You do not have the responsibility of paying them for that time off, but you must leave their position and healthcare benefits in place while they receive care. FMLA applies only when a person is not using a substance but is seeking treatment.
If and when possible, treat your employees with respect here. If you give employees paid time off for maternity care or you wouldn’t stop paying someone receiving chemotherapy for an FMLA leave, do the same for an SUD.
Connect Your Team to Resources
One of the most effective ways to help your team is to provide them with access to relevant resources. You may already be doing this with other services, such as providing employee wellness screenings or incorporating healthy food in the cafeteria. Amplify this by providing access to treatment programs.
An employee assistance program (EAP) is one way to do this. It enables you to provide access to care for sensitive areas, including substance use disorders (SUDs), for your employees. Make this a component of the healthcare benefits you offer to your employees.
We also encourage you to partner with Victory Addiction Recovery Center. We offer a full spectrum of treatment programs, including both in-person and outpatient care. Many times, employees can continue to work while they receive treatment.
What you will find is that our programs help them detox, heal from the emotional trauma and other complications they have, and learn to build a healthier future. They will learn to manage stress and the challenges of their work again.
Reach Out to Our Team for the Help Your Employees Need
Check out our Professional Program brochure for some additional information. Then, give us a call. Let’s discuss the ways we can support your employees’ healing. Victory Addiction Recovery Center works directly with patients, rather than employers, to provide personalized, private care. Contact us now.