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:
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Fortune 500
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43
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Medium-Large
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132
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Small
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25
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If you knew a candidate for an executive position at your company was in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, would you be:
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More likely to hire him or her
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0.5%
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Less likely to hire him or her
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26.0%
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Just as likely to hire him or her
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60.5%
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Don't know
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13.0%
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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:
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More likely to hire him or her
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1.5%
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Less likely to hire him or her
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24.5%
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Just as likely to hire him or her
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64.0%
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Don't know
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10.0%
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Do you believe chemical dependency treatment programs are effective in helping employees beat addiction to alcohol or other drugs?
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Yes
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89%
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No
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6.0%
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Don't know
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5.0%
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Do you consider chemical dependency to be a chronic illness/disease?
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Yes
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84.0%
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No
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12.0%
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Don't know
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4.0%
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If you discovered that your CEO or other high-ranking executive was addicted to alcohol or drugs, what would your company most likely do?
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with health insurance
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58.5%
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with company funds
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17.0%
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and ask executive to pay out of pocket
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9.0%
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Fire that person immediately
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4.0%
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Refrain from action and hope that the person would seek help on his or
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her own
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4.0%
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All other mentions
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4.0%
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Don't know
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3.5%
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If you discovered that a rank-and-file employee was addicted to alcohol or drugs, what would your company most likely do?
|
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with health insurance
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60.5%
|
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and pay with company funds
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11.5%
|
|
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Suggest chemical dependency treatment and ask person to pay out of pocket
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10.5%
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Fire that person immediately
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6.5%
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|
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Refrain from action and hope that the person would seek help on his or her own
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3.5%
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All other mentions
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5.0%
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Don't know
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2.5%
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In general, do you believe that your company's practices toward employees that are addicted are weighted toward:
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Eventual termination
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7.4%
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Suggesting chemical dependency treatment
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31.4%
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A combination of both
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55.4%
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Don't know
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5.8%
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How easy is it for your employees to access chemical dependency treatment through your benefit package once they accept that they need it?
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Very/somewhat easy
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93.5%
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Very/somewhat difficult
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1.8%
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Don't know
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4.7%
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Have employees at your company been to treatment?
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Yes
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54%
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No
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38%
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Don't Know
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8%
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Of the employees that have been to treatment, have most returned to the workplace as productive employees?
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Yes
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72.6%
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No
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14.5%
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Don't Know
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12.9%
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Do you believe that alcohol or drug addiction significantly affects employees in your workplace?
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Yes
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60.5%
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No
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39.0%
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Don't Know
|
.5%
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In your opinion, which of the following seven problems is the most significant impact of drug and alcohol addiction on employees in your company?
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Absenteeism
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44.5%
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Reduced productivity
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25.0%
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Lack of trustworthiness
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6.0%
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Health benefits costs
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5.0%
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Unpredictable, defensive interpersonal relations
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3.5%
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Negative impact on the company's external reputation
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1.5%
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Missed deadlines
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1.5%
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All other mentions
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3.5%
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Has no impact at all on the company
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6.5%
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Don't know
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3.0%
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Which of the following are barriers in your company that keep you from suggesting chemical dependency treatment to your employees?
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There is a lack of experience or expertise in knowing how to identify it
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54.0%
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There is a lack of experience or expertise in knowing how to get treatment
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36.0%
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There is a belief at our company that treatment is too expensive
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25.5%
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There is a belief at our company that is just easier in the long run to terminate an addicted employee vs. getting them treatment
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25.0%
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It is not covered in our benefit plan
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11.5%
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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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