About Workplace Interventions
Unfortunately, one out of ten employees has a drinking problem and a third of those also use illegal drugs. As a coping mechanism for a stressful job, many Americans look for ways to reduce stress, which is normal, but it can become an issue if they are chemically or behaviorally dependent. In addition to impacting the morale or productivity, it’s very difficult to see someone you’ve mentored or worked with for years experience these issues. To begin with, we recommend reaching out to your HR department to discreetly inquire about the process. While many people don’t want to get involved because of repercussions, a co-worker or boss could motivate the individual engaging in harmful behaviors to pursue treatment and ultimately, save their life. Before something serious happens, including termination, you can effectively intervene on behalf of someone at your workplace by reaching out to us. To make it easier for employers or businesses, we can travel anywhere in the U.S. to safely stage a private intervention.
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Who Is It For?
If you notice someone who exhibits certain behavioral problems, including calling into work, emotional outbursts, violent behavior, accidents, or sleeping on the job, this might indicate that they have issues with substance use disorder, mental illness, or addiction. These behaviors can greatly impact the people around them. In some cases, if an employee is under the influence while operating machinery, this can be extremely dangerous. Additionally, you may notice that they tend to deny that they have a problem, especially if you are a boss trying to resolve problematic behaviors. However, denial is the first symptom of a person who doesn’t think they have a problem. Because they are in denial, your employee or co-worker does not have the ability to ask for help. We know many people don’t want to get involved because of the personal aspect or getting the person in trouble, but workplace interventions are quite common. In fact, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and that includes people who struggle with substance use disorder.
We can stage a discreet and compassionate intervention that involves all of the appropriate parties, including the family, certain co-workers, people from HR, or with bosses. Your help could completely turn their life around by encouraging them to seek treatment.
Workplace Intervention Steps
An intervention focuses on three primary things: gaining trust, motivating the individual to seek treatment, and delivering ultimatums. Before staging the intervention, our knowledgeable and compassionate team will strategize and structure the intervention. One of the most important parts of the intervention is the initial planning. In this part, we will help you determine different aspects of the intervention, like who all is involved, how to approach the individual, and creating the next step for after the intervention. These are only the first few steps to planning an intervention. We encourage you to read through our Intervention Planning page to learn more. Additionally, we will work with the individual throughout the recovery process.
Once the planning is complete, the group will meet in a safe location to confront the individual. An intervention is an emotionally charged event so it’s very important to keep a few things in mind, including:
- Using open body language
- Managing your emotions (no yelling or bringing up events that do not pertain to the issue)
- Staying prepared in the event that the person acts out
The intervention ends as soon as the person admits they have a problem. Depending on the structure decided beforehand, some interventions may last one session while other types have several meetings.
What Happens Next?
There are two possible outcomes after an intervention. No matter the outcome, family members can rest assured that we will guide through the next steps. After a successful intervention, an individual is no longer in denial and chooses to seek treatment. In the planning portion of an intervention, we will discuss choosing the facility type, logistics, and safely transporting the individual to a treatment facility. Having these details planned out will help get the person treatment sooner.
In some cases, your loved one may decide he or she doesn’t need treatment or is in denial of the problem. If this happens, you will need to set the boundaries discussed during the planning phase. Reinforcing your boundaries will ensure you don’t accidentally enable the individual. We know this part is extremely difficult, but we will be with you every step of the way.
Make The Phone Call Today
The hardest part is making the first phone call. If you see a fellow co-worker or employee suffering from mental illness, substance use disorder, or addiction, please reach out to us as soon as possible. They don’t have to “hit rock bottom” for treatment. We will travel nationwide to stage a safe intervention. You could help save your employee’s life.
