Alcohol and drug addiction is becoming more and more commonplace these days. It’s incredibly worrying as we see friends, family and even perhaps ourselves struggling with substances.

For business owners it can be a real concern, after all it can damage a businesses reputation, reduce quality of work, and cause conflict amongst team members. But at the same time, a business does have a duty of care for its staff.

It can be a difficult decision knowing what to do when you have an employee battling addiction. Is it best to dismiss them or is it best to provide them with the help and support they need, including footing the bill for rehab?

It may feel like quite the investment in a member of staff, but there are centres with an affordable drug rehab cost out there, and it could transform their lives and repay the hard work they have previously provided for you.

It’s an interesting thought, but here are five reasons you should cover your employee’s rehab costs…

It’ll provide a supportive environment for the whole business

Everybody will go through hardships in their lives, and knowing they are working in a supportive environment will give them hope that should they, they have a management team and employment that will support them through difficult times.

While that doesn’t mean you necessarily want to hear about everybody’s problems, it will encourage people to speak up without the fear of being fired or getting into trouble. Which is only going to create a nicer environment to work in.

Which will increase productivity

That will undoubtedly increase productivity. A happy workforce is a more productive one. What’s more, if you’re able to get people the help they need, they can be back working at their optimum more quickly, and also with a feeling that they want to repay the faith you put into them.

Alongside this, an employee may not be able to fund rehab alone, so you could provide them with the break they need to go sober, which may not have been a possibility for them in the current cost-of-living crisis.

That’ll reduce staff turnover rates

That in turn will lower staff turnover. Every business owner wants minimal turnover. Time is money and spending time searching for staff can be a real pain. Supporting staff will create loyalty to your business, and in truth the amount you spend on an employee to get them the help they need will likely work out in your favour, as you won’t have to pay things like recruiter fees!

Offering support to your staff will stabalise your workforce and ultimately build them into an experienced and loyal team, which is only going to drive a business forward.

You kind of have a legal responsibility anyway

While you don’t have a legal responsibility to send an employee to rehab, you do have a legal and ethical responsibility to provide a safe and healthy working environment. Addiction can pose a threat to that, not just for the employee in question, but for others around them too. That could pose difficult legal questions should something happen.

By funding an employee’s rehab, it’s offering a commitment to your responsibilities and will cover your back legally too.