alcohol and other drug problems among addiction professionals

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The remainder of the discussions in both symposia focused on possible solutionsto alcohol- and other drug-related problems among addiction professionals.The results of these discussions fell naturally under eight categories, which also providethe structure for this chapter:◆ Leadership◆ Policy Options◆ Employer Expectations◆ Interviewing and Hiring Practices◆ Privacy and Non-Discrimination◆ Supervision and Corrective Processes◆ Support for Policies◆ Employee WellnessnLeadershipParticipants realized that an effective response to these issues first requireseffective leadership. They articulated a strong need for mature and experiencedleadership, given the complex, subtle, and sometimes seemingly contradictory aspectsof this problem.They affirmed the importance of fair labor laws, but emphasized the evengreater importance of consistent application of these laws to the realities of clinicalpractice. It is the responsibility of leadership and management within the treatmentorganization to:◆◆◆Learn about all applicable laws and standards and the ways of applying themfairlySet appropriate policies, procedures, and administrative protocolsProvide consistent education on and enforcement of existing policies, procedures,and administrative protocols◆ Model appropriate behavior in their work and in their livesBoard members should follow the same policies as employees within the organization.The Boards also can and should be a valuable resource in addressing theseissues. Board members should be willing to listen to employees and truly interestedin the realities at work in the organizational culture.n 30 n
In their adherence to federal, state, and local laws, organizational leaders mustensure that their policies and actions are consistent with the organization’s mission,vision, philosophy, and ideals. In general, the profession needs more training in fairlabor law, and in the integration of the letter, spirit, and intent of this legislation intoroutine practice. The application of these laws should be used to benefit clients,staff, organizations, and communities.nPolicy OptionsAlong with specific policies that organizations may adopt, participants alsoaddressed the qualities of appropriate policies and the most effective ways of establishingand implementing them. They made the following recommendations:◆◆◆◆◆Organizations must take care to make policies, procedures, and practices nondiscriminatory,and to relate them to the expectations and responsibilities of allemployees.Policies must be realistic, and must be created in the spirit of employee growthand development. There is no appropriate place for policies that are harsh, punitive,applied suddenly with adverse consequences, or applied without anyopportunity for correction of the problems they seek to address.Policies must provide escalating consequences, in a sequence of interventionsmatched to the situations at hand. There will be some extreme circumstancesunder which more extreme or punitive consequences might be appropriate,but in many situations the most appropriate interventions would be more therapeuticin nature. In effect, what is needed is a protocol for step-wise continuityof care for employees.The field must be careful to avoid “geographical ethics,” situations in whichemployees who behave in ways considered unethical in one organization orregion can simply transfer to another location in which inappropriate behaviorwill be tolerated.These issues must be addressed in policies, but the policies must also becomepart of the living culture of the organization. They cannot be reduced to manualsthat sit on the shelf, to be dusted off only in preparation for regulatory surveys.n 31 n
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