When we ask readers what their biggest challenge is in running their business, the answer is often labor. Many of you are finding it hard to find qualified service techs, or are frustrated by the lack of younger workers who want to get their hands dirty... and the list goes on. During a recent equipment rental, however, we heard a new, disturbing complaint which centers on employee drug use.
The rental professional we spoke to was not worried about workers getting high on the job, or driving while intoxicated (although these are very serious concerns for many employers). This rental company owner was talking about the widespread dependence on prescription medications and the effect it’s having on productivity in the workplace. Specifically, they said they can't keep a full staff due to the instability of employees going on and off of medications prescribed for common mental health issues such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
“So many young people today start taking medications when they’re children that by the time they come to work for us, they’ve been taking these drugs for most of their lives,” said the rental business owner, who will remain anonymous. “Our experience is that many of them don’t take the medications as directed, or choose to go on and off of them, depending on how they feel, and they become unmanageable and unreliable employees. The problem is so common for us we haven’t been able to keep a full staff, and we know from talking to others that we’re not alone.”
In fact, medicating children for ADHD has long provoked controversy. In recent years, however, there has been a big upturn in prescribing drugs for anxiety and depression as well. According to the article by Sarah Boseley and Baptiste Lignel, “Generation Meds: The US Children Who Grow Up On Prescription Drugs” in The Guardian, it’s now generally accepted that 20 to 25 percent of students at most universities in the US are on medication, and often on multiple prescriptions.
We believe these drugs are effective and necessary for many, but now we're curious: What are the long-term effects of a workforce heavily medicated from a very young age? Are you experiencing a problem with this at your rental business? Tell us about it by emailing [email protected].
