Ethics, DRUGS and Morality: How they affect Communication, Productivity and Everyday Life- Part II

Drugs in their many varied forms (alcohol, hard drugs, amphetamines and even tobacco) have a myriad of effects on our employees and companies. As mentioned in Part I of this series, 31% admit using drugs or alcohol, and these are for people who admit it. The percentage is most likely much higher.

At a business conference several years ago, a breakout session about the 12 Steps of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) was held. Originally, I had envisioned this to be how to use the process in other ways within a company. No, it was about actual AA, and it was attended by those who either had been on drugs of some form, or had direct family members who were on drugs. The statistic presented there was 40%. This was a major revelation at the time, because I had never seen this statistic before and it impacted me as to the ramifications that this holds for, CEOs, senior managers and C-Suite professionals and HR departments, which should be staggering if viewed from the proper perspective.

We always are wondering why our people may not be as engaged as we would like, or why our communication messages held with auditoriums of employees, or even chats at the water cooler, seem not to be as impactful as we would expect, and like them to be.

Possibly this statistic and topic may be part of the reason. Of course, some of the problem can be our delivery of the topics or making them relevant to those we are speaking to and/or with. However, if we take this drug statistic and also look at other distractions at work, such as illnesses of parents, children, relatives or even the general health of our employees, not to mention the medication being taken by employees at work, can we begin to see why people may not be as engaged as we like, or as productive as we expect? Might this figure of distracted, low engaged people be as high as 70%?

How much are the various drug forms affecting organizations and corporations? Significantly more than we probably care to know, if we acknowledge this statistic and the implications on productivity! Everything from absences, distractions, worry, stress, and general illness, impacts corporate sustainability, profitability and productivity. Government regulations in many countries now required companies to provide benefits for medical care, in various forms, for existing employees, including mental and support-group coverage for “illnesses.”

So this affects a company financially, from the FIRST day a new employee joins the company!

How do we address this issue from corporate communications, to employee manuals and benefits, and even more importantly assessing this in the pre-hire phase, before even bringing a person into our organization? Is this being done in your company? Is it being regularly communicated into the organization? Is it being reinforced with Mandatory Training Programs?

What do we discuss during the onboarding process? What procedures do we have in place to monitor compliance to existing drug policies and excessive absences? Are these in place within your company? If not why not? Can you afford NOT to address this issue on a regular basis?

Ethics, Drugs and Morality: How they affect Communication, Productivity and everyday life Part I.

This is a broad but critical and essential topic(s) for the C-Suite, Board of Directors, and HR Heads. Why? Because, these impact almost every corporation at some point in time and on multiple levels. This costs trillions, not just billions of dollars/local currency on a global basis. The retail sector probably recognizes and deals with these issues the most often, however we are all confronted with them, and it is on a large scale.

In my many years in business, there has been some discussion about this topic but normally in general terms, and not with the URGENCY it deserves. It has been dealt with in a spotty manner at best, and non-existent during many others. This is not to say that the “sky is falling” but we need to address this and hear the drum beat.

You don’t hear the drums and cadence? Well let’s just mention a few instances: Bernie Maddoff and multiple ponzi schemes recently in the news running into the billions of dollars, WaMu, the Catholic Church’s issues with sexual abuse, Enron, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Solyndra,…the list is endless, unfortunately.

A recent replay of an interview with David Millar, a professional cyclist who was found to be doping and now openly admits it, brought this topic into sharp focus at this time and provides an excellent reference point. This interview provides the essence of what we are confronted with, not only in professional and amateur sports, but in our day-to-day business and management lives as leaders. To ignore it, or down play it, is at our company’s risk.

Recently, a couple of companies have asked in our discussions, why, after conducting assessment screening around these topics during the pre-hire, they have still found a few people stealing? The answer to the question is because at different points in our lives, we are challenged by circumstances that may dislodge us from our values, depending on how deeply they are ingrained within us and this is so frankly discussed by David Millar.

It is David Millar’s interview which so clearly addresses this issue. He had rejected doping for 7 years of his career and had no intention to ever dope. However, when he fell on a tough period, when he was no longer performing at the level of before, he decided he would and he did Dope!

He says that he didn’t do it so much for the money, but for his ego and to regain his reputation in the sport (the irony was lost on him at the time: that by doping and getting caught it had an even a greater negative effect on his reputation, than if he had just retired from the sport when he was no longer competing at the level of before).

Each of us is confronted with similar issues at various times in our lives and career. However, it is our ethics, view of drugs (and this takes many forms) and morality, and the depth we are inculcated with these values that provides the guidance for us to avoid these issues….. or, we surrender to the issue at hand.

A way to help provide the foundation for a company and it’s employees, is through reinforcement with written policies that need to be signed by each employee each year, regular training, and corporate communication around these values on an ongoing basis.

Some statistics that may be eye opening (from SHRM and other sources):

31 % admit to abusing drugs or alcohol

41 % say they falsified records

56 % of working people admit they lied to their supervisors

64 % use the Internet for personal use while at work

80% of computer crime is committed by company insiders

A majority of applicants stretch the truth on resumes!

  More than half, 55%, lied about the length of past employment.

  Past salaries, 52%

Criminal records, 45%

  Former job titles, 44%

Former employers, 34%

 Driving records, 33%

Degrees, 28%

Schools attended, 22%.

 Some 15% percent even falsify their social security numbers!

So, if you are not convinced by these statistics, then look around you at work. How many people do not show up to work on time? How many feel that if they work 7-8 hours a day, that is all that they need to do because that is what they are getting paid for? How many really understand where their salaries, commissions and bonuses come from? How many have a basic understanding of profit and loss?  Just because it is clear to you, is it really clear to others?

It is every employee’s responsibility to help articulate and support these issues. Only through vigilance can the theft of time, property, and erosion of values be prevented!

The challenges are for the C-Suite and Human Resources:

1)      Are pre-hire techniques being used to help avoid bringing in future employees with the wrong values?

2)      Once onboard, how much corporate communication and time is spent around core values, and especially these particular issues? Are policies in place in Employee Manuals?

3)      Are they reinforced and training provided, regularly? Are the investments being made? This affects all shareholders in one form or another.

Values come from the top down, but can be supported by all employees! These can clearly be shown to impact sustainability, survivability and profitability, as well as personal success, individual health and life issues and values.


Link to the interview:

David Millar, Cyclist, Drugs, BBC Interview