Benefits of Recovery

Research overwhelmingly shows that addiction has a significant impact on an employer’s bottom line in a variety of ways. These costs remain far higher than what businesses spend to address the disease among workers.

Your company’s employees are one of your most valuable assets. Just as with other assets, investing in employees will benefit your bottom line. By taking a proactive approach to education and early intervention, and by addressing addiction like any other chronic disease, employers can better support their employees, improve their lives and workplace morale, and save money.

The benefits of supporting and promoting recovery are significant:

• Savings from investing in treatment and recovery can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1.(i)
• Reported job problems, such as incomplete work, absenteeism, tardiness, work-related injuries, mistakes and disagreements with supervisors are cut by an average of 75 percent among employees who have received treatment and are in recovery;(ii) and
• Addressing addiction in the workplace leads to better health and lower total healthcare costs over time, less absenteeism, improved job performance, reduced costs related to disability and workers compensation and fewer accidents.(iii)

What is the Return on Investment?
A study commissioned by Face It TOGETHER® found that every dollar spent on addiction treatment and recovery in South Dakota delivers over $8 in benefits, the majority going to employers. These gains benefit employers because compared to those who never get help, those in recovery:

• are 50 percent more likely to be employed;
• take 60 percent fewer days of leave; and
• spend half as many days per year in the hospital

The study also shows that:

• Addiction treatment costs less than replacing an employee.
• Each person receiving treatment in the Sioux Falls area reduces the community costs of their addiction by almost $14,000, with approximately half the savings realized through higher employment and reduced absenteeism.
• An overwhelming majority of HR professionals surveyed (92 percent) agree that an effective treatment program increases employee productivity.

Sources:

(i) National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1999. Principles of drug addiction treatment: A research-based guide. FAQ11, Bethseda, MD: NIDA, 1999.

(ii) Comprehensive Assessment and Treatment Outcome Research. St. Paul, MN: CATOR Connection 1990.

(iii) SAMSHA, CSAT, 1999. Substance abuse in brief: Effective treatment saves money. Rockville, M.D.