Supervisors play key role in handling addiction issues

Your duty to safeguard the well-being of your staff means that you play a key role in addiction prevention and assistance at the University. Following therapy many clients say: “It was good that someone approached me” or “I wish someone had approached me earlier.” As addicts often begin to suffer from their affliction much later than those around them, they usually do not see a need to change.

Thus the workplace is crucial to opening up new opportunities for afflicted staff. The best way is to address behavioral issues and point out where employees can find help early on. Motivating afflicted persons to embrace change may be a chance to avert the threat of losing job and livelihood. Experience shows that the sooner a person is approached, the greater their chance of recovery.

Supervisors need not feel overwhelmed or left alone with this often challenging core responsibility. Our personal counseling and addiction prevention experts will gladly assist.

We can:

• help you identify potential addiction problems.
• support you in preparing individual feedback and/or confrontational discussions.
• provide advice on enforcing the service agreement, decision-making, and taking action.
• help you reflect on discussions and overall process.

Read here why you should pay attention when you suspect addiction problems instead of looking away.

The short film Der Unsichtbare Dritte (the elephant in the room) delineates our addiction intervention chain with a focus on how to approach afflicted staff.