Citations & Excerpts

Second-Chance Recovery

September 11, 2003
By Cord Cooper

Substance abuse is a multi-billion-dollar problem- spiking insurance costs and draining productivity and morale.

A common way to deal with it? Fire the offenders and hold them up as examples.

That’s precisely the wrong approach, says Bruce Cotter, a recovering alcoholic and a former broadcast sales executive who heads Bruce W. Cotter & Associates. The firm is an intervention and recovery management business in Butler, Md.

“There are three ways to deal with workplace addictions, and two of them don’t work,” said Cotter, whose clients range from top executives to entertainers and sports and political figures. “You can ignore the problem, fire the substance abuser or help him.”

Ignore the problem and it only gets worse, Cotter notes. Fire the person and you send the wrong message. The firm’s other substance abusers won’t change; they’ll become more skilled at hiding their addiction.

Firing high-ranking abusers leads to other problems. They range from intellectual-property breaches to the cost of rehiring and training.

Invest in Recovery

So on to the third option: helping the person. The rationale? He was good enough to hire, train and promote. Help him lick his problem, and you make a formerly strong worker more productive than ever.

Cotter knows the drill. In the 1980s, he had a successful career as a broadcast network sales manager. Alcoholism almost did him in. He came to terms with the problem and checked himself into the recovery program at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, Md.

After checking out a month later, he helped colleagues get treatment. Before long, he was a full-time interventionist. Twelve years later, his firm boasts a 90%-plus recovery rate.

The Ultimatum

Here’s how a workplace intervention usually plays out: The substance abuser’s co-workers document his symptoms – from missed meetings to sexual harassment – and include dates.

They then go to the abuser’s superior, who refers the problem to a key decision maker, often the chief executive. The CEO prepares a documentation letter and arranges a meeting with Cotter and the employee.

The letter clearly states the problem and gives the employee an ultimatum: Accept company-supplied treatment – with full salary, benefits and a job waiting for him when he gets back – or face termination.

Cotter, the CEO and employee discuss the problem openly. If the employee seeks help, Cotter escorts him to a top facility for treatment, which typically lasts four to six weeks.

Afterward, he prepares a continuing-care program tailored to the employee’s needs. He also helps the person transition back to the workplace.

Cotter and the employee then stay in daily contact by phone. “I listen to him and give insights into what I went through and what others are going through.”

Cotter’s involvement last a year. The employee remains in a 12-step program.

For more information, see Cotter’s Web site: whentheywontquit.com.

Return to Article Listing