Industry and Drug Usage - Article Example

? Drug Usage of the of the Drug Usage Industry and drug usage Drug usage has been a serious concern amongst people belonging to different fields of life especially for working professionals. Drug usage significantly affects their health and affects the quality of work they put in at work. They fail to concentrate on their work and are also found absent from work. This problem is a serious concern for offshore companies who are pretty much concerned with the performance of the employees of companies working under them. They try to assess the usage of drugs among employees, so they can rectify the problem. Marconova is also one such offshore company that is concerned about the health and drug usage among employees of Heerema Marine Contractors. Marconova is handling its first project on Heerema Marine Contractors, so it wants to take extreme care of the fact that employees work efficiently. Marconova had conducted similar kind of test last year on the employees of Heerma Marine Contractors, which were conducted at three different locations and included all employees working under Heerma Marine Contractors. Marconova has an experienced team of doctors and nurses, who offer their services worldwide. They are usually responsible to conduct test and present reports and suggestions to the employees. The person who is responsible for testing makes an announcement one hour before the test and then urine samples of the employees are taken for the test. These tests try to find out the usage of drugs and narcotics among employees. Drug usage develops addiction of the substance used, and the employee or individual is forced to use the substance again and again. This addiction is very problematic for the employees as they lose control of their self. It also deviate attention from the work and reduces the effectiveness of employees. Nature of the problem It is important to note that the drug usage among people and employees have been increasing significantly in past few years. It is important that the problem is assessed and strict measures are taken in order to prevent future problems. According to the results of the test taken by Marconova, 2% of the samples were found positive, showing usage of drugs. It is learned that one of the causes of Exxon oil spill is the usage of drugs by its employees, which led to negligence of different operational aspect. However, some cases are sometimes false ones and it may not reflect the true situation. Use of any medicine prescribed by doctor may deviate the result of a test as the person may not have used drugs in reality, but it was due to medicine reaction only. The addiction of drug usage is evident from the symptoms of using drugs that includes lack of tolerance, using a lot of drugs for a longtime. Due to extended use of drugs individuals neglect other aspects of life and whenever they feel to tensed at work, they start using drugs. Employees of different companies use drugs to reduce stress and to stay away from worries, but when it becomes an addiction then problem become serious and employees have to seek treatment. Use of drugs gives excitement and relief for short term that makes people addictive of these drugs. However, the use of such drugs is usually followed by anxiety, depression, fatigue and many more problems (Hoffman, 1996). The employee uses a variety of drugs to get over all such stresses including Cocaine, Alcohol, Marijauna etc. Different drugs are used for different purposes having negative consequences on health. According to studies, users of marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs face problems like flashbacks, desire to use more drugs. It also causes people to feel pain in the body after the usage of marijuana. Employees should remain careful in this regard as excess drug usage could cause serious problems for them as they have to face fines and may get expelled from their jobs with its excess use. Users of Marijuana also complain about memory loss, as they have to suffer significantly at work. The use of drugs also plays an impact on other employees working with people. They often get affected from the use of drugs by their peers; hence people must stay away from such activities especially those who work for any organization. The family of the employee using drugs also gets disturbed. They not only get disturbed, but are also worried about health of the concerned person. Sometimes the individual who is working for an organization has to look after whole family, but if he is addicted to drug usage, then the whole family could be affected as he or she may lost job. The excess use of drugs forces companies to take regular test of their employees and identify problems if any, which cause problems. Employees of the company do not like the fact that regular test are taken and they are directed to work according to the wishes of organization, which also create stress. Solution Companies must develop awareness programs that would stress the importance of staying away from drug usage. It must also indulge its employees in extracurricular activities, so they remain focused towards their work and take some time out for healthy activities. Companies can reduce such incidence by solving the issues that lead to drug usage. They must work to reduce stressful situation for employees and work for their well being. Company must also conduct regular test of the employees so the problem is identified and proper treatment is given to employees in order to cope up with the issue. Certain principles must be established by companies in case it finds anyone using drugs, he or she may have to face disciplinary action. Companies could post notices at different places in office that drug usage is not allowed in office and the person found using drugs may have to face fines or termination. It is not easy for companies to stop their employees using drugs outside their organization, but awareness programs could help in this regard. People also become addicts of using medicines and painkillers, which can also affect the health and behavior of individuals. Hence, it is very important that companies carryout proper training programs that help employees understand the extent of the problem (Hoffman, 1996). These initiatives will help companies to get rid of the problem as it could affect the performance of employees and create a significant impact. The situation is alarming and it must be solved on priority basis. Moreover, if these solutions are adopted, companies would eventually reduce the necessary steps and obligations on employees. References Hoffman. J, (1996), “Drug Use among U.S. Workers: Prevalence & Trends by Occupation & Industry Categories”, DIANE Publishing. Read More