Learn What You Can Do to Ensure that Your Workplace Is Drug Free

Introduction

What can you do to address substance abuse in your company?  This is a critical question to ask  If you haven't done anything yet, chances are you have a bigger problem than you may realize.

More than 70 percent of current illegal drug users are employed. And, they are typically not very good workers. In fact, compared to their non-using co-workers, they tend to be absent from work more often, involved in more workplace accidents, file more workers' compensation claims, utilize a higher percentage of their health care benefits, and quit or get fired more frequently.

The bottom line? Substance abusers in the workplace cost you money.  Recent reports estimate that substance abuse is costing U.S. businesses as much as $200 billion each year.

Some employers believe they can't afford to address the problem of substance abuse in their workplaces. The truth is, they can't afford not to address the problem.

Consequently, employers everywhere are taking a stand against substance abuse in the workplace. They start by firmly stating that substance abuse in all its various forms and activities will not be tolerated.  Combining several key components into a comprehensive program, employers are enjoying some very worthy results.
 

I. Writing a Substance Abuse Policy

A written policy is the cornerstone to a good drug-free workplace program.  All other components of the program, however critical they may be to your success, revolve around your policy.

Before you put pen to paper, conduct a Needs Assessment. This may be as formal or informal as you wish… as long as it is useful. The purpose of the assessment is to get a clear idea of the extent of the problem in your workplace and exactly what you will try to accomplish by establishing a policy and program.

There are three basic components to a written policy:

1. Purpose Statement.  This provides your employees and job applicants with an explanation of why you have a program.  This may include your concern for employees' safety, improving the cost of doing business, and to comply with legal requirements.
2. Prohibited Behaviors. This is where you provide a clear description of substance abuse-related behaviors that are prohibited, such as any illegal drug use working under the influence of alcohol.
3. Consequences. A thorough explanation of the consequences for violations of the policy, including, if applicable, discharge, will help others understand the gravity of policy violations.

Just knowing the policy is there will help keep drug users from applying for positions. Without a policy you jeopardize clients, company reputation, and future contracts.
 

II. Training Supervisors

Supervisors have an important role to play in your drug-free workplace program. Their support is critical.

The key to their success is to clearly identify your expectations for them. For example, supervisors should not be expected to act as substance abuse experts; that's not their job.  However, they should be expected to identify the signs of poor job performance and follow standard company procedures for dealing with employees.

Train supervisors to do the following:

1. Know the company's policy;
2. Understand their role in the policy's implementation and maintenance;
3. Observe and document unsatisfactory job performance;
4. Confront workers about unsatisfactory job performance;
5. Understand the effects of substance abuse in the workplace; and
6. Know how to refer an employee suspected of having a substance abuse problem to those who are qualified to make a diagnosis and offer assistance.
    

III. Educating Employees

Employees must understand and support your program.  Educating them is a critical step in achieving your drug-free workplace objectives.

There are five goals related to employee education:

1. Provide information about how alcohol and other drugs affect individuals and families;
2. Help them understand the impact that substance abuse has on safety, productivity, and the overall cost of doing business;
3. Explain the consequences for violations of the policy;
4. Describe how the basic components of your overall program work, including employee assistance services and testing; and
5. Describe how employees can get help overcoming substance abuse problems.
    

IV. Providing Employee Assistance

An employee assistance program (EAP) is a job-based program established to help workers with personal problems that affect job performance. Substance abuse may be one of those problems.The use of EAPs can be cost-effective and result in overall savings with the drug and alcohol testing program.  However, EAPs are not a "quick fix."

For many companies a formal EAP is financially unrealistic. However, the services provided by EAPs are available in a variety of ways--often within the budget of a small company.

If you are interested in an employee assistance service, do the following:

1. Contact other companies in your area that provide employee assistance services to their workers and learn about their programs.
2. Determine whether there is an EAP consortium available in your community.  Consortia typically make EAP services available at the kind of prices that larger companies usually enjoy. A local or state chamber of commerce, trade association, or other business organization to may provide an EAP consortium.
    

V. Drug and Alcohol Testing

Drug and alcohol testing is legal, though a handful of states and municipalities regulate it. When combined with the other components of a comprehensive program, testing can be a highly successful deterrent to employee substance abuse and an effective tool in helping employers identify workers in need of assistance.

Though setting up a testing program is not a simple process, every year more and more employers join the ranks of those companies that conduct drug and alcohol testing. According to the American Management Association, 87.2 percent of the respondents to their annual survey of the 1,000 largest companies in the United States include drug testing in their workplace substance abuse programs.

Consider the following before you implement a drug and alcohol testing:

1. Who will you test? (Job applicants? All employees? Those in safety-sensitive positions?)
2. When will you test? (After accidents? When there's reasonable suspicion of drug use? As part of periodic physical examinations? Randomly?)
3. Which drugs will you test for? (Marijuana, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and PCP as the federal government requires of some employers? Alcohol? Legally prescribed drugs that are commonly abused?)
4. What consequences will employees and job applicants face if they test positive?
5. Who will conduct your drug testing?
    

Conclusion

For many employers, drug-free workplace programs work. They save employers money and, in some cases, they save careers, families and lives.  Some employers are so convinced of the effectiveness of their programs that without one they'd rather lock up the doors and go out of business.
 

If you would like to learn more please call today for more information.

1.800.647.9070

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