A Second Chance: Employers’ Perspectives in Hiring Individuals in Addiction Recovery

There is a constant debate that employers are not adequately prepared to hire individuals in addiction recovery for a number of reasons. Literature suggests lack of awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to interact with individuals in addiction recovery as common factors impacting employment outcomes. The purpose of the study was to use open-ended questions to examine employer perspectives toward hiring individuals in addiction recovery. Furthermore, the authors examined gender, business industry, and employer profession to identify any common factors between groups. Major themes in the study included employability, available supports and resources for business owners, influence of societal biases, and concerns related to applicants in recovery well-being. Although the findings suggests, the initial willingness to hire individuals in addiction recovery tends to be low among employers, other findings indicate with appropriate training and resources, employers may be susceptible to hire individuals in addiction recovery. The type of drug, length of recovery, and support of the person in recovery, when disclosed, appears to have a positive effect on employers’ willingness to hire. Implications for research and practice are discussed.