There are troubled employees in these troubled times. That's according to experts on Friday in Paso Robles. According to Dr. Beverly Ford, with Central Coast Employee Assistance and Counseling Services, there was a 28-percent increase of suicides at work in 2008 nationwide. Health insurance claims to cover substance abuse concerns were up 20-percent in 2008. Employees in 2008 also admitted to spending two to five hours of time at work daily addressing personal issues.

It's a hot topic that has many people talking from experts, to employers and employees. But whether it's the economy or not, there's one thing for sure, there seems to be more problems in the workplace. Kathy Eppright, an attorney with Andre, Morris & Buttery, said, "There have been problems related to work violence as we saw with the Fort Hood situation."

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Last week, two deadly workplace incidents took place. In Fort Hood, 13 people were shot and killed. There were also 30 wounded. Another shooting in Orlando last week left one person dead and five injured. Eppright said, "They are scary and usually you hear after the fact there were warning signs."

To help businesses, a seminar was held on Friday in Paso Robles. It focused on "Troubled Employees in Troubled Times." Liz Alflen, IQMS Human Resources Manager, said, "I think there is a lot of stress in the workplace right now." Eppright said, "Probably the biggest problem that is coming into the workplace is substance abuse."

To get another perspective on the story, we talked with one employee who doesn't believe problems with the economy makes a difference. Troy Smith, an employee, said, "If people are going to drink, they're going to drink regardless." He also gave us his view on workplace violence. Smith said, "I think there are just crazy people out there." Eppright said, "What I tell my clients is to not ignore the warning signs. You can't always do something, but you should at least be alert and pay attention."

Eppright said business do have to weigh the liability they might face by trying to address the problem. To avoid situations escalating at work, experts suggest talking to management about your problems. They also recommend management be proactive by having written policies about issues such as workplace violence, harassment and other unacceptable behavior.

Reported by: Monica Quintero & Madeline Palaszewski

These are stressful times in the workplace. Suicides, deadly violence and substance abuse have increased nationwide according to human resource experts speaking at a seminar Friday in Paso Robles.

Most recently, 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder. He's accused of killing one person and injuring five others during a shooting at his former office in Orlando last week.

The seminar, "Troubled Employees in Troubled Times." addresses how financial pressures, increased substance abuse and other issues related to the difficult economy are affecting employee performance and creating workplace issues.

We'll have more on this story on our evening newscasts on KSBY News.

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