Hazelden -- Workplace Addiction Survey

Nearly one in four human resources (HR) professionals surveyed reveal that their companies are less likely to hire a job candidate if the person is in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction - even though 89 percent believe treatment is effective in helping those employees fight addiction.

Company size:

	Fortune 500	43
	Medium-Large	132
	Small	25

If you knew a candidate for an executive position at your company was in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, would you be:

	More likely to hire him or her	0.5%
	Less likely to hire him or her	26.0%
	Just as likely to hire him or her	60.5%
	Don't know	13.0%

If you knew a candidate for a rank-and-file position at your company was in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, would you be:

	More likely to hire him or her	1.5%
	Less likely to hire him or her	24.5%
	Just as likely to hire him or her	64.0%
	Don't know	10.0%

Do you believe chemical dependency treatment programs are effective in helping employees beat addiction to alcohol or other drugs?

	Yes	89%
	No	6.0%
	Don't know	5.0%

Do you consider chemical dependency to be a chronic illness/disease?

	Yes	84.0%
	No	12.0%
	Don't know	4.0%

If you discovered that your CEO or other high-ranking executive was addicted to alcohol or drugs, what would your company most likely do?

	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with health insurance	58.5%
	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with company funds	17.0%
	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and ask executive to pay out of pocket	9.0%
	Fire that person immediately	4.0%
	Refrain from action and hope that the person would seek help on his or
	her own	4.0%
	All other mentions	4.0%
	Don't know	3.5%

If you discovered that a rank-and-file employee was addicted to alcohol or drugs, what would your company most likely do?

	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with health insurance	60.5%
	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with company funds	11.5%
	Suggest chemical dependency treatment and ask person to pay out of pocket	10.5%
	Fire that person immediately	6.5%
	Refrain from action and hope that the person would seek help on his or her own	3.5%
	All other mentions	5.0%
	Don't know	2.5%

In general, do you believe that your company's practices toward employees that are addicted are weighted toward:

	Eventual termination	7.4%
	Suggesting chemical dependency treatment	31.4%
	A combination of both	55.4%
	Don't know	5.8%

How easy is it for your employees to access chemical dependency treatment through your benefit package once they accept that they need it?

	Very/somewhat easy	93.5%
	Very/somewhat difficult	1.8%
	Don't know	4.7%

Have employees at your company been to treatment?

	Yes	54%
	No	38%
	Don't Know	8%

Of the employees that have been to treatment, have most returned to the workplace as productive employees?

	Yes	72.6%
	No	14.5%
	Don't Know	12.9%

Do you believe that alcohol or drug addiction significantly affects employees in your workplace?

	Yes	60.5%
	No	39.0%
	Don't Know	.5%

In your opinion, which of the following seven problems is the most significant impact of drug and alcohol addiction on employees in your company?

	Absenteeism	44.5%
	Reduced productivity	25.0%
	Lack of trustworthiness	6.0%
	Health benefits costs	5.0%
	Unpredictable, defensive interpersonal relations	3.5%
	Negative impact on the company's external reputation	1.5%
	Missed deadlines	1.5%
	All other mentions	3.5%
	Has no impact at all on the company	6.5%
	Don't know	3.0%

Which of the following are barriers in your company that keep you from suggesting chemical dependency treatment to your employees?

	There is a lack of experience or expertise in knowing how to identify it	54.0%
	There is a lack of experience or expertise in knowing how to get treatment	36.0%
	There is a belief at our company that treatment is too expensive	25.5%
	There is a belief at our company that is just easier in the long run to terminate an addicted employee vs. getting them treatment	25.0%
	It is not covered in our benefit plan	11.5%

The telephone survey, conducted in October 2003 for Hazelden by Ipsos-Insight, polled 200 human resource professionals from across the country-including Fortune 500, medium-size and small businesses. The margin of error is +/- 6.9 percent.

--Published December 2003

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Making Recovery America's Business is designed to raise awareness of addiction in the workplace, the toll it takes, and how it can be addressed.