“Alcohol abuse alone costs South Africa R9 Billion annually and this, and addictions in general, are problems that many Human Resource (HR) professionals find hard to identify or provide clear intervention strategies for.” Says Nicholas McDiarmid of Harmony Addictions Clinic, “We need to address the impact of addictions in the workplace, including on productivity and profitability, help HR professionals identify the problem, advise them on how they can help (including family members affected by addiction) and supply them with the tools they need to affectively address these issues.”

Even though the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993 makes employers responsible for the health, safety and welfare of their employees, which includes arranging strategic interventions in the case of substance abuse, this has not seen a significant increase in proactive engagements with the problem. Professor Peter Collins, National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) executive director and board member of Harmony Addictions Clinic, says, “Businesses should have HR people in place who are trained in addictions awareness… It should not be treated as a disciplinary problem.”

It is important that HR professionals face substance use and abuse as a reality of 21st Century life, overcoming their own judgements on the matter, and learning how to best manage the phenomenon in context of best outcomes for their organisations. Addressing the marginalisation of drug abuse, Professor Collins notes that “…the criminalisation of drugs has been a colossal failure, it makes it difficult to treat the individuals who are addicted and it creates vast vested interests.”

This applies on both macro and micro levels where, for example, work-place disciplinary actions have all proved ineffective in dealing with what are essentially health, and not moral, issues. Addictions manifest across the board and Professor Collins goes on to say, “What has also been a cause for concern has been the extent to which gambling has been implicated in the financial meltdown. The behaviour of the traders involved had all the symptoms of gambling addiction; including archetypal debt chasing patterns and this was often occurring in conjunction with the use of cocaine.”

Treatment professionals know all to well that a significant portion of those seeking treatment are professionals in executive positions and, although figures vary, South African clinical addictions figures nationally are between 10% to 20% of the work force – half of whom are alcoholics. Low productivity, absenteeism, failure to meet deadlines, poor performance, theft or fraud, as well as destructive personal and employment relationships, are the day-to-day business consequences of addiction. One cannot underestimate the effect addictions have on the addict’s family and friends and on their productivity too; a dynamic which can be easily and largely reversed with appropriate counselling and minimal support. The South African Association of Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP) estimates that 50% of workplace accidents are drug-related and that an undetected drug abuser will cost his employer 25% of his wages. “In weighing up the cost of rehabilitation for an addicted employee, many factors need to be taken into account, and it is advisable for an HR Professional facing such a dilemma to consult with addictions professionals,” says McDiarmid.

Forming partnerships with specialised facilities, such as Harmony Addictions Clinic, which has a specialised training programme for corporate HR departments, is the most constructive and affordable solution. These associations will not only offer immediate benefits to individual addicts but will also up-skill the Human Resource staff and raise addictions awareness universally within companies. Addictions counselling and therapy is all but unobtainable for most workers in South Africa and by freely offering it to staff in some form or another, however marginal, companies will not only be impacting positively on their employees’ health and their company’s productivity, they will also be investing in old fashioned good will. Ubuntu like this is an investment which simply can’t be measured in Rands and cents in the short term, but which almost always pays off in the long term. Often, someone who is struggling with a new addiction or with the addiction of a friend or family member needs only a little understanding and a safe space to work things out for themselves. It might not be possible to eliminate the problems caused by addictions in the workplace in this way, but they can certainly be alleviated and a modest foundation for recovery can be established.

The Harmony Group is a non-profit professional centre of excellence, with a clear vision of providing first class treatment to all South Africans. Endorsed by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, the clinic has provided highly subsidised treatment for more than 120 previously disadvantaged clients, in addition to its paying clients, since opening its doors in October 2008.