Federal laws and workplace policies have to be followed as they remain to be the best way to protect people who may need help recovering from their addiction. If you can take the time to understand your rights as an employee then this will help you to keep your job as you complete your treatment.
Prepare Yourself
Preparation is a crucial step if you want to speak with your employer about potentially going to rehab. You will want to know your rights as well as your limitations so you can understand the treatments you are going to be able to access before you bring up the subject with your boss.
There are a lot of federal laws in place that will help you to protect your right to work as you recover. The most important here would be the FMLA, which gives you 12 weeks of unpaid protected leave if you have a serious health condition. This actually includes addiction.
If you want to qualify for this then you need to have worked for your employer for 12 months and you also need to have completed over 1,250 hours over the last year.
Know your Options
When you have been able to understand your employer’s policy regarding substance abuse, you then need to ensure that you have a solid plan of action ready. This will help them to see how committed you are to both your drug rehab and alcohol rehab.
There are a lot of alcohol treatment resources out there that can help you to understand what program is going to work for you and your job. There are also employee assistance programs out there for you to take advantage of as well. This will help you with issues such as substance abuse, mental health issues, and more.
Remember the first step to recovery is always seeking addiction treatment.
Preparing your Work Life
When you have done all of your homework, you should make a special effort to stop fear from stopping you from talking with your employer about your potential rehab. Sure, it can be difficult but if you can ensure that you are prepared then this will help to set you up for a successful conversation.
If you work at a larger company, then you will usually talk to HR about your addiction treatment center. You can also discuss your drug treatment and find out how much leave you can take. If you happen to work at a smaller company then you may have to speak to your boss directly.
Either way, you have to try and have this conversation as soon as possible. This will frame your recovery as being a proactive attempt to get better and it will also help you to improve your work performance. Your employer may ask you to take the time to fill out paperwork for your unpaid time off if you know that you are going to be using FMLA. If you want to find out more about intensive outpatient programs, telemedicine, impact outpatient programs, or anything else of the sort then we are here to help. Our treatment center can help you to get admitted while giving you support with your current role.