Last updated : December 23, 2024
Creating and maintaining a drug-free workplace improves productivity, lowers costs, and makes employees safer. Putting a plan in place can be an extremely involved or much more simple process depending on whether you, as an employer, want to try and go it alone or choose a reliable drug testing service that also includes employee and management education as part of the process. No matter what route, the first step is deciding what you want to accomplish and what services you need, then building the plan, because in order to talk to your employees about substance abuse, you must have that plan in place first.
Forethought
What will you include in your substance abuse protocol? Think in specifics: pre-employment drug testing, periodic random drug testing, testing for reasonable cause. What laws do you need to take into account? What types of tests are available and from which testing providers? Decide how you want to handle employees who test positive, then figure out if what you want works from a legal standpoint. Do you have an employee assistance program in place? If not, are you willing to offer financial support for employees who need help? Will your policy be one of zero tolerance? These are among the issues you need to decide before you even start to formulate an actual document.
Yes, you do need an actual document. It can be short and to the point or lengthy and address specific concerns. It’s something to which you’ll be referring frequently.
Company-wide roll-out
Crafting the drug policy isn’t the most crucial step in this process. The way you introduce that policy to your employees, the language you use to talk to them about substance abuse, can make or break both morale and your program.
Be honest about why you’ve decided to roll out a drug policy. Remember, you can be, because it doesn’t just benefit some imaginary bottom line. You can rely on the knowledge that employees will have to cover for injured or sick employees less, productivity overall will increase which means getting more done in less time, and there will be greater safety and general well-being for everyone in the workplace.
- Alcoholism causes 500 million lost workdays per year.
- 38–50 percent of all workman’s compensation claims are related to substance abuse.
- 40 percent of all industrial workplace deaths are caused by substance abuse.
- Workplace accidents caused by substance abuse are 5 times more likely to injure someone.
Including an employee assistance program can also be a positive talking point. You don’t have to convince employees to believe you care if you can show them you care. You’ll also want to be prepared to talk specifics: the type of drug testing you intend to conduct and the process you’ll use to handle a positive test.
Continuing education
Conduct regular employee training sessions. Your workers need detailed, up-to-date information about the various substances banned by your policy, including the drugs’ individual effects, potential workplace impact, and the signs and symptoms of abuse. You need to equip your workers to deal with suspected abuse and create a sense that they’re watching out for each other. Refreshing existing policy can be a time for encouraging dialogue on the process you’ve got in place and give employees a chance to voice general concerns.
Due diligence
Policy discussion is only part of it—how do you talk to an employee if you do suspect abuse? This is where the process can get dicey, legally speaking. Before you approach the employee, be sure:
- You’ve documented, in detail, specific instances of behavior that concerns you—changes in speech or appearance, tardiness, emotional issues, decreased performance, increased absences. Facts only, please; this documentation should never include speculation on possible substance abuse.
- You’ve consulted with a third-party specialist—a doctor or substance abuse counselor, for example—to get feedback on your concerns.
- You’ve consulted a lawyer to establish state legal requirements for employers dealing with suspected drug abusers.
When you’re ready to approach the employee, schedule a formal meeting and include at least one witness. During the meeting:
- Express your concern for the employee and your reason for calling the meeting (documentation).
- Review company policy, reminding the employee of your concern and willingness to help.
- Inform the employee of your decision to test based on reasonable suspicion.
Your responsibilities are not over here. If your policy is zero tolerance, you’re going to have to make sure that the test accounts for a wide variety of variables. This is when having a trusted testing service provider makes a big difference.
You’ll also have to arrange for transportation to the testing site. Never allow that employee to drive themselves. If you suspect them of abuse, the company needs to provide that transportation. An extremely useful alternative is relying on a mobile drug testing service. In that case, you may have access to a variety of services already, but when suspecting an employee of abuse, you’ll be able to have the testing service there at the workplace and ready to test immediately.
Sometimes a positive result doesn’t signal the end. You may need to schedule a second meeting for further review of company policies and legal considerations. Know from the start that each instance will be different, so having a sound bedrock policy in place and being able to communicate with your employees makes dealing with the unknowns much less stressful.
