Alcohol and drug use costing Australian businesses $5.2 billion a year in lost productivity and absenteeism

A new academic paper written for the Australian Drug Foundation has found that alcohol and drug use is costing Australian businesses $5.2 billion a year in hidden lost productivity and absenteeism.

The paper entitled, “Workplace Alcohol and other Drug Programs: What is Good Practice?” estimates the annual cost of absenteeism due to alcohol alone to be close to $1.2 billion.

Australian Drug Foundation Head of Workplace Services, Phillip Collins, explains; “The costs of lost productivity or absenteeism due to alcohol and other drugs are well hidden in most businesses.” “Employers and HR departments simply don’t have enough information to attribute the days of work their staff are missing as being due to drug and alcohol use.

“With access to real-time information on absenteeism, employers can quickly identify; how often a worker is absent, how much working time has been lost, if there is a particular pattern forming, and in which area of the business absenteeism occurs most” advises Jamie Fitzsimons, Marketing Manager at Mitrefinch Workforce Management. 

Workforce time and attendance management systems specialise in recording unplanned absences and leave, producing a complete Absence Profile for an individual employee, group of employees, or department. Armed with this information management can determine how absence impacts the organisation's overall productivity and address potential issues before they get out of hand.

For more information on preventive alcohol and drug workplace programs and how they can help your business become healthier, happier and more productive visit the Australian Drug Foundation website: www.adf.org.au/programs-services/workplace-services.