An employment service which helps people affected by substance abuse to keep their jobs is offering free training to businesses to help spot employees in trouble.
The Employment Support Service (ESS), run by charity DrugAid, works across the Caerphilly County Borough.
Organisers of the service are inviting employers in the area to get in touch to find out about access to free substance misuse awareness training.
They are also offering help in developing internal substance misuse in the workplace policies and one-to-one support for anyone in the workforce who may be affected by alcohol or drugs.
Joan Brown, Service Manager for ESS said: “Working together with employers ESS strives to help any staff member access the support they need to overcome the drug or alcohol problems they are experiencing, helping them to stay in employment and get the best chance of long term recovery.
“This may relate to their own illegal drug use, prescription drug or alcohol misuse, or it could be that it is a loved one, possibly a spouse or family member, who has the drug or alcohol problem and the employee is affected through worry or stress. Both scenarios can lead to health problems and have a negative impact on productivity and self esteem, all of which will have an economic cost to an employer and may put their job at risk.
“By raising awareness, helping employers develop their substance misuse policies and being there within the workplace to talk to people and offer advice and, where appropriate, referral to services, we can ensure that employees are supported to move on from their problems and employers are able to retain a productive workforce.
“Our services are completely free and we are inviting people to get in touch with us now for further information or to book a short informal presentation about what we do and how we can help.”
If you would like to contact the Employment Support Service Team please call 01685 721991 or email ESS@drugaidcymru.com