Ensuring Effective HR Policies on Substance Use Disorders

Alcohol and other drug use disorders are among the most difficult problems facing many employers and society at large. Business firms and other organizations can establish policies that help workers avoid and overcome substance use disorder. This article describes the extensive negative consequences of alcohol and other drug use disorders, including gender differences and connections to stress and work-life balance. The article offers internal auditors, management accountants, and business managers with an overview of effective and compassionate human resource policies regarding substance use disorder. Such policies make important contributions to corporate social responsibility by helping individual employees and thereby benefiting society at large. When people feel stress, they may turn to alcohol for relief, but instead of providing relief, long term drinking can lead to psychological and medical problems that make stress worse, not better. Recent studies show that even drinking in moderation heightens overall risk of death from diverse causes, notably several forms of cancer and some types of cardiovascular disease. Organizations can help reduce stress by offering flexible work arrangements that help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. The CDC Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol “do not recommend that individuals who do not drink alcohol start drinking for any reason and that if adults of legal drinking age choose to drink alcoholic beverages, drinking less is better for health than drinking more.” When organizations help employees avoid or overcome alcohol or other drug use disorders, then that benefits every person connected to the employees, such as their spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and society at large