How opioids impact the workplace and what employers can do

Over the past two years, employers nationwide have had to navigate a growing number of issues that have negatively impacted the work environment, including worsening mental health and substance use disorders among their workforce. The next challenge for employers to navigate is the worsening opioid crisis, which threatens to take a heavy toll on health, safety, and overall business operations.

When employers focus on the opioid use disorder (OUD) crisis, not only are they lowering health care costs, increasing productivity, and reducing workplace safety risk, they’re also helping employees and their families regain physical and mental health and improving overall quality of life. But are workplaces equipped to handle the opioid problem?

According to the National Safety Council, while 75% of U.S. employers feel their workplace has been impacted by opioid-related issues, only 17% report feeling extremely well prepared to deal with the opioid crisis and its effects. Among key employer concerns:

• Difficulty finding qualified workers who can pass a drug screening test
• Rising health care costs
• Increased absenteeism and presenteeism (lost productivity during work) coupled with reduced overall productivity
• Workplace safety

Read more: Doctors use overshadowed Supreme Court ruling to escape opioid charges

The good news is that employers who proactively address workplace OUDs can benefit the employee, their family and friends, and the communities in which they work by:

• Playing a more active role in helping people access the benefits they need
• Leveraging employment as a motivator for entering and adhering to treatment
• Educating employees about the availability and effectiveness of substance use disorder treatment programs without fear of job loss
• Driving better treatment outcomes by improving access to care through virtual substance use disorder treatment

Employers, including human resource, total rewards, and benefits professionals, can play a critical role in addressing today’s worsening opioid crisis. It’s important to understand that an effective way to tackle OUDs and addiction is to work with line managers and supervisors in establishing a workplace culture where employees are more likely to seek the help they need. This can be done in several ways, including:

• Raising awareness — Increase employee understanding of the leading causes of OUD and addiction such as working in physically demanding or high-stress jobs.
• Reducing stigma — Since employers are responsible for setting organizational policy, influencing language norms, and purchasing health care benefits, they are in a unique position to foster an anti-stigma culture.
• Building a recovery-friendly workplace to support employees — People in recovery often have a high degree of self-awareness, resilience, compassion, dedication, and understanding. These skills and behaviors should be valued for how they positively impact the workplace team, company, and culture.
• Using supportive, non-judgmental language in the workplace that treats people with respect and compassion.
• Eliminating harmful policies that act as barriers to treatment and recovery, offering assistance to employees who either have a substance use disorder or are caring for others who do.

Related: Opioid manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals reaches $4.25B global settlement

In addition to reducing the overall stigma of addiction, employers can directly benefit from having employees in recovery through lower health care costs, job stability, and fewer unscheduled leaves.

What’s next

The opioid crisis shows no signs of abating, particularly as we continue to experience the fallout from a pandemic that has devastated the lives of those previously struggling with addiction.

According to a study published in The Lancet, more than 1.2 million additional people across North America are expected to die of opioid overdoses by 2029 unless dramatic interventions are taken. This figure would represent a doubling of the number of deaths seen over the last two decades.

Fortunately, the federal government has recently taken steps to rectify what The Lancet study describes as “specific vulnerabilities in American regulations” that accelerate the current problem. For example, it recommends that physicians first prescribe non-opioid therapies for both chronic and acute pain, such as:

• Prescription gabapentin
• Over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen
• Complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage as well as physical therapy

Related: The new CDC opioid guide: An opportunity for employers to lead the way for change

Also, since April 2022, states have had access to federal grants for the purchase of “fentanyl strips” in an effort to stem overdoses. The strips can be dipped in a solution of drug residue and water. Then, similar to a pregnancy test, the strip indicates whether fentanyl is present in the solution or not.

Similarly, employers are taking important steps to combat the crisis. This includes expanding coverage of pain management alternatives, providing training in the workplace to increase awareness of signs of OUD, and working with health plans to encourage physicians to communicate the dangers of opioids. Realizing that fewer than 10% of those with a substance use disorder seek treatment, companies have begun to offer digital clinic care as an employee benefit, enabling access to confidential addiction treatment, anywhere and at any time.

Addressing the worsening opioid crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our times, with policymakers, employers, and health care delivery innovators having critical roles to play. However, employers are in a unique position to not only implement the most innovative, effective, and life-saving solutions, but to empower employees, provide safe, destigmatized work environments, and directly impact societal attitudes toward addiction and recovery.

Yusuf Sherwani, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Quit Genius