Meth to Their Madness Do some of your employees have a need for speed? Find out how to handle it.

Americans are working harder and longer, and now some people areturning to drugs for a quick boost--with dire consequences. Drugsin the workplace may not be a new phenomenon, but there's a newpoison taking precedence: Workplace methamphetamine abuse rose 68percent in 2003 from a year earlier, according to data from QuestDiagnostics Inc., a large supplier of employee drug tests.

Methamphetamine, a type of speed, initially gives users afeeling of incredible energy, followed by a physical and mentalcrash. "It keeps them awake, and they can do marathon-typework," says Timothy Dimoff, CEO and president of Akron,Ohio-based SACS Consulting & Investigative Services Inc., asolutions provider for high-risk workplace issues. "When theycrash, they'll be sluggish, inattentive, lethargic; they'llfall asleep at work or call in sick."

Both ends of the spectrum cause serious damage to employees andthe overall work environment. While high on meth, employees maythink they're in control, but it's a false sense ofsecurity, says Dimoff, as employees are not completely aware oftheir environment and are apt to have more on-the-job accidents.Signs of meth addiction include dizziness, irritability, suddenweight loss, inability to get along with co-workers or supervisors,and a possible tendency toward violence.

If you see any of these signs in an employee, act quickly. Youshould have a drug policy in your employee handbook that detailsyour right to test for drug use, a timeline for a probationaryperiod during which the employee can get help, as well as the rightto terminate a drug user if he or she refuses help or testspositive during probation. "If the employee does not stopusing [meth], you have no choice but to eliminate the safety riskfrom your company with termination," says Dimoff.

For more information on addiction, check out Dimoff'swebsite at www.sacsconsulting.com or Addiction InterventionResources at www.addictionintervention.com.