I work with companies to confront addiction in the workplace. The hidden crisis is costing corporate America millions.

"We partnered with the National Safety Council to create a substance-use cost calculator. Take for example, an employer with 45,000 employees. They will lose $50 million annually in turnover, absenteeism, and healthcare costs related to substance use disorder. And for every employee who's in recovery, that same company can save about $8,500 annually. We need coworkers and managers to be equipped to step in and have productive, compassionate conversations that prioritize employee mental health. Addiction isn't a failure of character. It's a challenge of our culture."

"Addiction doesn't always show up in the way that society likes to portray it. Many people are able to maintain their lifestyles without subscribing to what the media tells us addiction looks like. Especially in white collar settings, it doesn't show up like absenteeism or poor performance. On Wall Street, it often hides behind overperformance. It might be, you know, the analyst who's the first one in, the last one out, the VP who never misses a target;"

Addiction affects one in six Americans—almost 50 million people over age 12—and 70% of those with substance use disorder are employed. Substance use frequently appears in every workforce, including white-collar and Wall Street environments, where overperformance can conceal problems. Employers face sizable financial impacts from turnover, absenteeism, and healthcare; for example, a 45,000-employee company may lose roughly $50 million annually to substance use disorder, while each employee in recovery can yield about $8,500 in savings per year. Employers need coworkers and managers trained to hold productive, compassionate conversations that prioritize mental health. Addiction reflects cultural challenges and stigma rather than character failure.

Read at Business Insider