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Addiction can negatively affect various areas of your life, including home, school, relationships, and work. Especially when it comes to your job, not getting adequate treatment for an addiction can put you at risk for disciplinary action or termination. If you are dealing with drug or substance abuse issues, it is best to seek help early on. But how do you approach your employer about your need for treatment?
If you work at Nordstrom, you should know about your company’s policies regarding substance use disorder and the resources that may be available to you as an employee. It may be uncomfortable to broach the subject with your supervisor, but remember, it is better that you bring up the subject first before the issue creates a problem requiring your employer to initiate a conversation with you.
Below we will share some important information to help you understand your rights as an employee, Nordstrom company policies, and provide tips on what to say to your employer when seeking drug treatment.
Nordstrom is among the largest department stores in the United States, operating over 360 stores and employing more than 60,000 individuals. If you are a Nordstrom employee dealing with addiction, this is good news as the company has many resources to assist employees with substance use issues. But when it comes to seeking treatment and avoiding termination, you need to be informed and proactive.
The first step in advocating for yourself is to make a decision to get treatment. Even if you are not using drugs while at work, there are ways this behavior can affect your job performance.2 Here are some possible outcomes:
It is advisable that you take control of your situation before any of the above behaviors lead to warnings from your employer, firing, or worse. The best way to do this is to understand your options and talk with your employer; part of this process is knowing your rights as it pertains to drug treatment.
Whether you have decided that you need to go to rehab while working at Nordstrom, or it is something you are considering, you should know that there are certain protections afforded to you under law. These laws allow you to access the necessary resources without fear of being fired from your job. First, however, you must know what these laws are and the standards for properly accessing your rights to confidential treatment while maintaining your job stability.
The Family Medical Leave Act was put into place to allow employees to deal with family or medical issues they may be experiencing. One of the provisions of the act allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave from their job when experiencing specific family or healthcare issues. According to the law, if you have a ‘serious health condition’ that interferes with your ability to do your job’s essential duties, you are eligible to access the FMLA. Because addiction qualifies as a serious health condition, if you are dealing with a substance use issue, you are entitled to time off from your job and protection from being fired as you participate in rehab.
However, if you want to apply for FMLA while at Nordstrom, you must have met the following criteria regarding your employment:
The Americans With Disabilities Act also protects persons in the workplace with disabilities. Under the ADA, substance abuse is considered a disability. Therefore, if you are in treatment, the ADA protects you from being discriminated against by your employer. Specifically, an employer cannot ‘fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote’ you because you are in rehab.
However, it is essential to note that both the FMLA and ADA will not protect you from job loss if you begin using drugs or alcohol again or your addiction interferes with your ability to do your job. So, if you are dealing with an addiction, it is crucial to access these rights and get on a path toward recovery.
The Employee Assistance Program at Nordstrom is a confidential, voluntary resource you can access which offers counseling, referrals, and other services. The program is a useful source offered by your employer that you can use to obtain information regarding substance abuse treatment.
Although many companies have discontinued drug testing as a pre-employment screening tool, nor do they rely on it to test current employees, it is wise to be aware of your company’s expected code of conduct related to substance abuse issues.
Although some current employees of Nordstrom indicate that the company does not employ drug testing of its employees, per Nordstrom’s ‘Code of Business Conduct & Ethics,’ the company stresses that employees must ‘work free from the effects of drugs and alcohol.’ Furthermore, it is stated that ‘testing positive for drugs will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.’4
Now that you have gained some understanding of your rights and the company’s policy, if you decide to enter rehab, you must choose whether to inform the company of your decision. This is a personal choice but if you do decide to go to rehab while working at Nordstrom, here are some tips for speaking with your supervisor:
Taking the first step toward recovery by seeking treatment can be a challenge. But knowing that you are starting on a path toward healing that will help restore the many areas of your life, including your employment, is the best choice.
To find out how Sober Partners can be an ally in your journey, contact us today.
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