Working under the influence (WUI): correlates of employees' use of alcohol and other drugs
Article Abstract:
In response to the use of alcohol and other drugs in the work place, policy decisions with significant social and legal implications - such as urine testing for drug use - are being made without a clear understanding of either the epidemiology or etiology of this phenomenon. This article presents the major theoretical perspectives on employees' substance abuse and assesses the desirability of integrating them. Using data from an anonymous mail survey of 9,175 employees of 47 organizations in three industries, the author analyzed responses to items addressing age, gender, social interaction with coworkers, and satisfaction with one's job to determine any relationship between these variables and self-reported instances of working while intoxicated. The findings indicate that the employees most likely to work under the influence of alcohol or other drugs were men younger than 30 years, and that the likelihood of their - or other employees' - doing so increased when they felt unhappy about their jobs and socialized frequently with coworkers off the job. The author discusses the implications of these findings for both deviance theory and policies for employee assistance programs. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1988
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Employee assistance programs in context: an application of the constructive broker role
Article Abstract:
This article describes how practitioners in employee assistance programs (EAPs) can adopt the role of constructive broker to achieve the goal of providing humane treatment to troubled workers. The context in which EAPs operate is discussed in terms of the labor process model, which holds that inherent ideological conflicts between management and labor make the work place a contentious environment. The author presents strategies constructive brokers employ for enacting the role, and issues related to cost containment, role definition, and professionalism that affect EAPs today. Effective constructive brokers must constantly remain aware of the role they play, their status relative to others in the network, and their original goals. The author concludes that if employee assistance practitioners do not adopt the constructive broker role, their EAPs will likely become absorbed into other organization units, which would make them less capable of fulfilling their humanitarian ideals. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1988
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Perceptions of an employee assistance program and employees' willingness to participate
Article Abstract:
Little empirical research has examined employees' perceptions of employee assistance programs (EAPs) and their willingness to participate in them. A sample of 150 employees of a white collar firm was surveyed to determine the respondents' attitudes, perceptions, and willingness to use various resources for help with alcohol abuse and dependence, their beliefs about the causes and stigma of alcoholism and reasons for drinking, and their levels of alcohol consumption. The results indicate that men and women appear equally willing to use EAPs, although they differ somewhat in their perceptions of and attitudes toward them. The authors also found that willingness to obtain help from an EAP was greatly influenced by a respondent's familiarity with the program, perceptions of its trustworthiness and opportunities for personal attention, level of alcohol consumption, and beliefs about drinking to reduce job-related stress. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1988
User Contributions:
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