Effects of Fatigue, Stress, Drug Abuse - Essay Example

Case Study-Task The effects of fatigue, stress, alcohol and drug abuse have on the performance of staff is very detrimental. The full potential of the employees can never be reached if a company has the above issues to deal with. For there to be any noticeable progress in the workplace in terms of output levels by the staff, it is always important that the company makes sure that at least substance abuse is squarely dealt with. This paper looks at the causes and effects of fatigue, stress, drug abuse and alcoholism and how as a manager of the company and the company should deal with the problems. Issues such as reduced productivity and heightened risks to injury in the work environment can all result from the aforementioned issues, dealing with them and preventing the engagement of employees to them is imperative. Introduction The rate at which companies lose money through countless health benefits to stressful and fatigued staff is alarming. Healthy employees need less health benefits and are very productive. Managers and heads of companies alike need to figure out how to curb this menace. Work related injuries are on the increase and are always recorded high when most workers work overtime and have less break to reduce the fatigue or engage in activities that can reduce the levels of stress. My company, as this paper discusses below, has already developed countermeasures to the above problems. The changes we have realized can not only be told through the fulfillment of all participants in the company but also through the profits we have accrued in the recent past. Causes and effects of fatigue and stress There are several causes of both fatigue and stress as listed below. Fatigue itself is caused by extended periods of physical or even mental exertion with less time to recover through rest. Normally, a certain level of fatigue is normal, however, when the levels are too high, there can only be too much disadvantages. These levels of fatigue can be as a result of the following: Excessive workloads Feeling stressed for elongated periods Being deprived of sleep, mostly over lengthy periods Long working shifts Working long hours over longer periods, and Working at night where the body expects to be resting. Such fatigue and stress buildup results to the following factors: High levels of fatigue and stress normally leads to reduced productivity. This is generally the biggest problem with the two. Also, since stress and fatigue may impair a person’s sense, including that of danger, employees run risks of accidents and injuries in the work environment. Studies show that staying awake for over 17 hours has as much negative effects on the overall performance of an individual’s performance as having about 0.05% alcohol content in blood. An extra four hours doubles the alcohol content figure to 0.1% (Williamson et al. 320). The effects of individuals working at this condition cannot be overestimated, they, particularly, present the greatest risk factors to themselves when: When performing task that demand total concentration When driving or operating heavy machinery, and Where the consequences of any given error could prove disastrous. Causes and effects of drinking and drugs problems It is crucial to point out that both employees and employers have a duty and a responsibility both legally and at a personal level to be vigilante of any drug abuse in the workplace. Also, companies need to know that to properly address the issue, all stakeholders need to be involved. Many are the times when companies become too authoritative and forgetting that the most important thing is to empower people and teach them, not warn them. Generally this is done through encouraging self-management and awareness of employees’ behavioral patterns. Employees with alcohol and substance abuse face: Increased risks and chances of injuring themselves or others on the job A greater chance of resigning or losing their job. The effects of alcohol and substance abuse do not affect the employee with the problem exclusively. Work colleagues face: Increased workload, fatigue and lastly stress when their counterparts leave some work undone and they have to finish that themselves. Not only the aforementioned injuries, but also increased disputes and confrontations. The need to cover for their impaired counterparts sometimes redoing the work so their colleagues don’t get fired. Manager, on the other hand, other than concentrating on the helm, have to face: absenteeism and lateness poor concentration of worker and reduced critical thinking increased rates of errors Dwindling customer base due to unsatisfactory business as customers don’t get quality services Constant demands and requests for health benefits by the impaired personnel Reduced efficiency and overall workplace performance. Manager’s roles in prevention of fatigue, stress, alcohol and drug use in the workplace. It is the manager’s duty to follow up with his/staff’s behavior and whether they eliminate, isolate, and minimize all the significant hazard related to drug use as such hazards greatly imparts on other individuals in the company, and the impaired staff themselves. The main roles of the manager include maintaining discipline in the workplace and addressing factors such as workloads and lengths of shifts to reduce the risks of fatigue and stress. Pertinent company rules/checks. The company needs to check that employees have: Been allocated some time for an afternoon nap or a break. Rotational shifts. The trick is to have the employees rest properly between shifts Breaks that are spent away from the workplace. This helps them recover from not only fatigue but also stress Longer breaks for longer shifts In case the company is dealing with drugs, it needs to monitor the behavioral patterns of the employees to detect fall in production and follow-up to see that that is not attributed to drug use. Discussion Issues of fatigue, stress, alcohol and drug use are not new to us. However, it remains a big problem as most companies fail to understand how important and good it is to address the problem. With few programs in the workplace and some training on the managers, these are problems that can be contained for an increased level of production. Conclusion Understanding the importance of having a healthy workforce necessitates that measures need to be taken so as to make sure that every person works according to their potential. Lack of a company investing in resources in providing the best information regarding drug use and maintaining the most optimal conditions for employees is always more expensive. Works Cited Williamson, et al. "Developing measures of fatigue using an alcohol comparison to validate the effects of fatigue on performance." Accident Analysis & Prevention 33.3 (2001): 313- 326. Read More