Pandemic Effects: The Opioid Crisis and the Workplace
The combined effects of COVID19 including the outcomes of contracting the disease itself, prolonged quarantine, isolation, fear of getting the virus, uncertainty of the future, hopelessness, grief over loss of a loved one, and general disruption, have negatively impacted many people’s mental health with anxiety, depression, and worse. It has also caused some persons to turn to alcohol and drugs to cope, potentially affecting their workplace. Whether people are still employed at their job site or at home, drug-free workplace programs continue to be important, now more than ever, to maintain a safe and healthy work environment and to support employees that are struggling with mental health disorders and/or substance use and related disorders.
Quest Diagnostics, a leading workplace drug testing lab based in the United States, just published its Employer Solutions blog entitled, Opioid Crisis Persists During Pandemic.
Here is an excerpt from the summary:
"It is critical for employers to continue to help create safe, drug-free work environments, which include well-defined substance abuse policies, workforce drug testing programs, and education about the consequences of opioid misuse for its workforce."