Are Your Home Workers Under The Influence?

Homeworkers under the influence have become a silent threat to business.

In response to a charity, The Alcohol and Drug Service (ADS) has launched an e-learning platform to improve knowledge and ability to manage the issue, when substance misuse affects a person’s work.

This portal offers a practical training resource for managers and supervisors to reduce risk within their organisation, return to productivity and better support employees who display issues.

As an accredited training provider, experts at ADS, have developed the content based on over 35 years of experience in specialist Drug and Alcohol services, working in partnerships with the NHS and local authorities. It includes; Drug Awareness, Alcohol Awareness and Tackling Substance Misuse.

Laura Jarvis, Senior Manager at ADS explains:

“As it is not possible in the current climate to gather teams together for training – our solution makes everything available online, so learners can participate in a virtual classroom.

“When something doesn’t seem right – a member of the team might be making mistakes or they do not appear to be fully engaged – our training gives managers and supervisors the skills to identify the problem, approach that individual and signpost them for support.”

Last year research findings from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for human resource management professionals, found the lack of support for workers using drugs and alcohol through the pandemic.

It highlighted one in five employers were failing to offer support to workers and only 12% provide one-off training for line managers.

Laura explains:

“The main reason for this lack of support is most employers do not know how to approach or manage this increasingly common issue. Yet we see the number of employees affected grow, with cases varying from people who are regularly hungover to others who appear inebriated during work hours. In both cases, the impact on organisations is a reduction in productivity, quality and a potential risk to safety.

“This can affect all employees, whatever their role or grade. We are working with employers who discovered people across their structure, including senior managers, were experiencing issues with both drugs and alcohol. So, we are acutely aware that it can be difficult for employers, who often lack the skills and knowledge, to support staff with these problems and we want to help by providing this solution.”

“We know there is an issue out there. Numbers presenting to ADS have more than doubled since restrictions first came into place in March 2020, with home workers being one of the biggest groups affected. Many started drinking earlier in the day and consuming more than if they had been working from business premises.”

The online training courses include; Drug Awareness which removes the mystery surrounding both illegal and prescription drugs, the implications of using these substances and related health issues. Alcohol Awareness explains safe limits, effects on health and relationships, withdrawal and how to help those affected and Tackling Substance Misuse gives a broad understanding of the required treatments, support agencies, prevention, promoting well-being and how to promote a safe working environment.