The Impact of Substance Abuse Treatment on Absenteeism, Tardiness and Productivity

Abstract

The impact of abstinence-based inpatient treatment for substance abuse on the three workplace outcomes of absenteeism, tardiness and productivity was investigated using a series of mixed between-within ANOVAs. Results from a total of 247 study participants who complete self report questionnaires at pre-treatment and six months post-treatment showed that there were significant improvements in absenteeism, tardiness and productivity. Treatment was equally effective across gender, age and age of onset of problematic substance abuse. Drug abusing participants showed higher levels of absenteeism and more unproductive days compared to alcohol abusing participants and participants with more than seven years of of problematic substance use showed more unproductive days. No interactions were observed between treatment and other independent variables tested. A cost analysis showed support for positive returns on investment for employers which depended on the annual salary of the worker, the treatment program duration and persistence of treatment gains.