Canada’s oil industry is highly profitable, but is having a hard time keeping their employees from abusing substances and becoming addicted. Substance abuse is having a widespread grasp on oil employees which affects their lives, their jobs and their employers negatively. Addiction and substance abuse have negative effects on the oil worker’s lives, and as a result, oil companies have to face the hardships of mishaps in the workplace, a high employee turnover rate and having to dispense sick pay. It is apparent that the best remedy for the problems of addiction and substance abuse is treatment that works.
People frequently think that an addict or substance abuser must be easy to identify in the workplace. This opinion stems from false impressions that stereotype addicts and substance abusers as unsteady, slurring words and having an unruly appearance, and will not be capable of executing their job duties. While all these things can be true, it is very common for an addict to present a completely functional image to their working world and have many people in their lives convinced that they are a straight edge personality. Addiction and substance abuse are often carefully disguised by their perpetrator, but those who are close to them know that they are suffering. Overtime, a physical, mental and spiritual tole will be taken on the addict or substance abuser if they do not get therapy.
It has become a business tactic of oil companies to not terminate employees who are discovered to have a substance abuse problem. This is because it has been proven repeatedly that addicted or substance abusing employees can still be excellent workers. If the employee has proven to be an asset to the company, then it is in the company’s benefit to connect the employee to substance abuse and addiction treatment services and retain their employment. This encourages an open, practical work environment that makes employees feel secure that they will not be dismissed for needing addiction or substance abuse assistance.