Position Paper on the Need for Walmart Inc. to Establish a Rehabilitation Program for Assisting Employees Affected by Substance Abuse

Question

find two articles that address issues of substance abuse in the workplace. Using those materials, create a position paper detailing your position on a substance abuse issue or policy as it relates to the workplace. You should write the paper casting yourself in the role of the Human Resources Director for an organization of your choice. Your goal is to generate organization-wide support on the issue you select. You should clearly describe your position on the issue and the rationale for that position. The position paper is based on facts that provide a solid foundation for your argument. Consequently, in the position paper, you should use evidence from the scholarly literature to support your position, as well as statistical evidence or dates and events. Articulate the strengths and weaknesses of your position. Finally, use the literature to evaluate your position as well as other possible solutions and clearly suggest courses of action. The position paper should be typed in a Word document and attached in the discussion. The paper should be structured as follows: • An introduction should include identification of the issue and a statement of the position. • The body of the paper should include background information, supporting evidence or facts, and a discussion of both sides of the issue. • The conclusion of the paper should articulate the suggested courses of action and possible solutions for the problem you have identified.

Answer

Position Paper on the Need for Walmart Inc. to Establish a Rehabilitation Program for Assisting Employees Affected by Substance Abuse

Name of Student:

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The aim of this position paper is to express my view as the human resources director at Walmart Inc. regarding substance abuse at the company. I strongly advocate for the introduction of rehabilitation programs within the company to address the problem of substance abuse. I feel that by adopting interventions that ultimately lead to the termination of the employment contract for the employee, the company ends up incurring huge costs while at the same time failing to provide the much-needed help to the employee.

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            Substance abuse remains in the workplace today. It brings about huge financial costs to businesses. For example, during the mid-1990s, the financial costs of substance abuse was over $200 billion annually (Spell & Blum, 2005). The need for rehabilitations programs in organizational contexts is supported by scholarly literature. Spell & Blum (2005) point out the usefulness of the rehabilitation approach because it is based on the view of substance abuse as a medical condition that can be treated. Moreover, employee assistance programs, whether internal or external, provide valuable opportunities for the management of specialized care for the addicted employee as well as the management of costs relating to substance abuse and the rehabilitation process itself (Scanlon, 1991).

For Walmart, terminating the employment contract does not solve the problem in its entirety. Indeed, employment contract termination can lead to indirect costs such as damaged corporate reputation and lawsuits from disgruntled former workers who may feel that they were treated unjustly merely on the basis of allegations of substance abuse (MacDonald, Wells & Fry, 1993).

            In conclusion, I would strongly encourage the senior management at Walmart Inc. to consider establishing a rehabilitation program for employees suffering from the problem of substance abuse. A choice between launching an internal or external employee rehabilitation program should be made after examining both environmental factors and strategic choices in terms of their compatibility with organizational characteristics.

References

MacDonald, S., Wells, S. & Fry, R. (1993). The limitations of drug screening in the workplace. International Labor Review, 132, 95–113.

Scanlon, W. (1991). Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in the Workplace: Managing Care and Costs through Employee Assistance Programs, Second Edition. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Spell, C. & Blum, T. (2005). Adoption of Workplace Substance Abuse Prevention Programs: Strategic Choice and Institutional Perspectives. Academy of Management Journal, 48(6), 1125-1142.