Addiction professionals urge employers to work with people in recovery.

• Date: 19 February 2019

With the workforce small and the number of people in recovery on the rise, people who treat and coach substance abusers say the time has come for hiring managers to see people in recovery as an opportunity and not a threat.

There is fear on both sides, says Marc Burrows, program manager for Challenges Inc., an addiction outreach service. Employers are worried about liability and employees "are terrified" of being found out, he said.

"In most cases, people in recovery are too scared to inform their employer of their addiction. Rightfully so, due to the stigma and discrimination that often exists," Burrows said. "People in recovery might think that their employer would see them as a liability."

But according Rich Jones of FAVOR Greenville, it may be at least as risky to hire someone with no apparent history of drug abuse and recovery.

A percentage of your workforce already has a substance dependency, said Jones, CEO of FAVOR, which calls itself the community's welcome center to recovery. FAVOR Faces and Voices of Recovery works with individuals struggling with addiction, as well as their families and, increasingly, employers.

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