Transition tends to have a negative connotation, simply because some people use it as a nice way of saying “downsizing” or “cutting your budget” or “evaluating your expenses.” Transition is merely a change in a new direction. Now, to visualize this, picture a pinball machine with the ball bouncing off of different bumpers and going in different directions. Transition is NOT when the ball drops below the levers and you lose the game. Transition occurs when the ball hits a wall and flies off in another direction. Even for the better, many people view transition with caution, and are not sure how to go about thinking of the situation.
In the workplace, employees have transition in their private lives which may or may not have an effect upon their professional lives. When they experience these periods of transition and are stressed out about them, they may resort to alcohol or drug abuse as a way to temporarily escape their problems or just the newness of the situation. Fortunately, employee drug and alcohol testing can help prevent this from happening. Why is this so important?
Many individuals who are hardcore addicts started off abusing drugs or alcohol by not thinking of it as too big of a deal. In fact, many individuals who think of drug abuse as a big deal tend to abuse less and do so with extreme caution. It is the apathetic or lazy mentality which leads to long-term addiction, since the individual does not think of it as any big deal until it is too late and they are almost unable to cope with the withdrawal.
In your workplace, you must be sure to keep your employees safe and away from this risk. While you cannot directly control their actions or lack thereof, you can evaluate them periodically with onsite drug and alcohol screening to determine if further action on your part is needed. If your company has a multiple strike policy, then you can discuss the strike with your employee and assess if it is really just a temporary situation or something which can lead to further problems. Call Mediscreen today: (+61) 1300 79 70 40.
