The Effects of Drug and Substance Abuse on Employees’ Job Performance on Selected Insurance Companies in Nairobi, Kenya

The success of the insurance industry depends on perception, mannerism and the face to face interactions members of staff have with their clients. The current research sought to determine the impact of drug abuse on work performance amongst employees in the insurance industry in Kenya using selected insurance institutions within Nairobi. The study was guided by the given objectives: To determine the extent to which drug abuse influence workplace absenteeism among employees in the insurance companies; to establish the effect of drug abuse on workplace behaviour change among employees in the insurance companies and to examine the influence of drug abuse on the level of productivity among employees in the insurance companies. The study was based on both reinforcement and social cognitive theory. The study targeted employees who engaged in drug and substance abuse. They were drawn from six selected insurance companies in Nairobi, Kenya. A sample size of 106 employees was chosen using snow ball sampling. Purposive sampling on the other hand was used in selecting key informants including the managers and departmental heads. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were the instruments used for collection of study data. Analysis of the primary data using descriptive statistics was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22). Thematic analysis was employed to interpret qualitative data from the interview schedules. The results of the study showed that drug abuse impacted negatively on employee job performance within the selected insurance companies with a significant relationship found between drug abuse and each of the three work performance parameters. The study thus concluded that drug abuse contributed to workplace absenteeism, workplace behavior change and decreased levels of productivity among employees of insurance companies in Kenya. The study recommends that the insurance companies in Kenya may develop an organizational policy on substance abuse. In addition, the insurance companies may regularly organize for awareness programs and training workshops on the dangers of drug abuse. These may also be integrated with staff-health counseling to promote wholesome health awareness among individual employees. The insurance companies in Kenya may also create an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help employees affected by the drug abuse problem to get treatment and/or help.