The prevalence of drug use in Australia is beyond our imagination. It seems every time we turn on the news, there’s another drug bust or police blitz, all highlighting just how endemic drug use is across society.
What many small-business owners don’t consider in the face of all this media attention is that the likelihood of their workers using drugs is probably quite high.
Statistics show that depending on the industry and according to the Australian survey in 2016, use amongst employees is going to reflect:
- 16 per cent (3.1 million) of Australians aged 14 or older had illicitly used drugs in the last 12 months.
- Use was highest among 20–29 year old’s (28 per cent)
- Use of any illicit drug increased among people in their 40s (from 12 per cent to 16 per cent).
- Persons in their 50s (from 6.7 per cent to 12 per cent) between 2001 and 2016.
It is estimated that in excess of 2.5 million days are lost annually due to drug and alcohol use at a cost of more than $680 million to the economy.
From what we are seeing in clinical practice, these figures would feasibly be greater in 2019. So, business owners really do need to take stock and ask themselves. What does this covert to in costs to their business?
With regulations as they now are, and a greater focus on workplace safety and welfare, it is now the business owner’s responsibility to know of any pre-existing or current physical and mental health condition, inclusive of drug use of all our employees.
Studies in the US showed that one in 10 workers say they have been affected by a co-worker’s use ranging from a reduced ability to do their job, accidents and near misses, through to employees and owners having to work extra hours to compensate for those who are drug affected. This has huge implication on the day to day effectiveness, culture and bottom line of business.
The paper Australian methamphetamine user outcomes, published by the government, demonstrates the demographic and the flow on effect on productivity and user outcomes.
So, how do we possibly mange this effectively, especially as an SME? With drugs, as with all things in life, prevention is better than cure!
When drug testing is included in the pre-employment screening, we can assess effectively if this problem is pre-existing and choose to take it on and manage or select a different candidate for the role and save ourselves the grief. A simple Hair Follicle Drug Test for candidates seeking employment is easily available and will show habitual drug use very effectively.
Employers, both small and large, are able to request this drug test as part of the pre-employment screening, however, once employment has commenced the ability to test is normally based on reasonable doubt depending on the industry or not able to be done at all.
This form of hair follicle drug testing shows at a minimum, drug use the last three months, and screens for all current social drugs. It is not able to be tampered with and it is usable in court. The testing is currently being utilised by family court, sporting bodies and larger organisations such as the mining industry and can be easily accessed by any small business.
Whilst you may feel awkward having the “drug” conversation with potential employees, it is worth considering the long-term impact of having a drug affected worker. Known costs pre-employment versus unknown financial and emotional burden over the long term, should make the decision a relatively simple one
Jacinta Callaghan, BHSC Nut Med, Founder, Hair Follicle Testing Australia
