Making your workplace drug-free and recovery friendly can help support people with addictions

The US is facing a public health crisis relating to substance misuse and addiction. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 139.8 million Americans aged 12 and over drink alcohol, and 14.8 million of them have an alcohol use disorder, also known as alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, or alcoholism. Fifty-three million, or 19.4% of people aged 12 and over, have used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs within the last year. Nearly 60 million people use tobacco.

If alcohol and tobacco are included with illicit drugs,165 million — or 60.2% of Americans aged 12 years or older — currently misuse drugs. Seventy percent of illicit drug users are employed either full or part-time.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the estimated cost of alcohol, tobacco and substance misuse is staggering and exceeds $740 billion a year. These costs include rising health care costs, the cost of crime, plus an estimated $81 billion in lost workplace productivity resulting from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover.

Read more: As addiction rates soar, employers can offer a lifeline

COVID-19 has dramatically exacerbated the problem and all workplaces are affected — not only those that employ essential workers. The distress and lingering human devastation are referred to by some as ‘the pandemic within the pandemic.’ In fact, the CDC recently reported that more than 100,000 people have died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending April 2021.

What can employers do to care for their employees, reduce their risk and prevent financial loss? While some employers focus on becoming a Drug Free Workplace, increasingly, other employers are trying something new. The Recovery Friendly Workplace is growing in popularity.

The drug-free workplace
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Drug-Free Workplace Act (DFWA) into law. This law applies to companies with federal contracts greater than $100, 000 and all federal grant recipients. These companies must establish and maintain a drug-free workplace in accordance with the requirements of the law in order to receive federal contracts or grants.

DFWA requires contractors to establish drug-free policies and inform their employees that the illegal production, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of controlled substances is prohibited in the workplace.

Because adherence to the requirements of the Act is a condition of employment for employees working within a drug-free workplace, employers must also provide employees information on the policy, and their rights with respect to possible disciplinary action that may occur from any violations of the workplace drug free policy.

Read more: DEI efforts expand to support employees fighting addiction

The Act also requires the company to provide drug-free awareness programs designed to educate employees on the dangers of drug abuse. Other aspects of the law require the company to provide employees with drug counseling, treatment and rehabilitation programs.

Some might say that the primary focus of the Drug-Free Workplace is on adherence to or compliance with the Act, with the wellbeing of the workforce being of secondary importance. However, in practice, the Act has less enforcement strength than other federal laws (i.e. OSHA, ADA, etc.), but has been very instrumental in helping to raise awareness of the issue of substance misuse in the workplace.

Like other employers, drug-free workplace employers face many challenges while seeking to attract and retain employees. This is true even under ideal labor market conditions, but especially during the ongoing global pandemic where the current labor market is far from ideal.

For example, recreational marijuana is now legal in 19 states, plus the District of Columbia (DC). In addition, 36 states, plus DC, have legalized medicinal use of marijuana. This reality makes it even more difficult for drug-free workplace employers to meet their hiring needs.

The recovery friendly workplace
Rather than focusing on legal compliance, the Recovery Friendly Workplace offers a more collaborative approach to addressing the issue of substance misuse, addiction and recovery in the workplace.

The Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative was established in 2018 by Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. The initiative encourages public and private sector employers, employees and communities to work together to raise awareness about substance use disorder. At the same time, these employers are encouraged to explore ways to meet the needs of employees who are in recovery, those who are curious and want to learn more about recovery, or who want to access the resources needed to help friends, family or other loved ones who struggle with SUD.

In addition to providing support and access to community resources, these initiatives also seek to reduce or eliminate barriers, like stigma, while creating psychologically safe workplace environments.

Recovery Friendly Workplace champions understand that stable employment is an essential component of long-term recovery. Holding a steady job offers benefits that extend beyond the employee, to their families, to the company and by extension, to the broader community.

Read more: How this CEO used his own experience with addiction to change substance use treatment

Companies that participate in Recovery Friendly Workplace initiatives realize direct benefits to their bottom lines. For example, The National Safety Council reports that companies save an average of $8,500 for every employee who recovers from a substance use disorder. That same study reports employees in recovery miss an average of 3.6 fewer days of work each year than other employees.

Lastly, companies that implement recovery friendly workplace initiatives provide their employees with the psychological safety needed to break the stigma that is normally associated with substance use disorders, addiction and recovery.

Some innovative companies may consider implementing Recovery Friendly Workplaces as part of their Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Many companies already have company-sponsored, employee-led ERGs. Salesforce is an example of a company that used this approach, resulting in the creation of SoberForce, which began with only four employees, and has now grown to more than 1,000 employees.

Recovery Friendly Workplace employee groups are able to help bring about dramatic changes in workplace culture. These groups collaborate with EAP or other community recovery service providers to plan, organize and sponsor recovery friendly events, programs and activities. According to the CDC, increasing awareness and understanding through training and education is foundational to the adoption of healthy behaviors.

Organizations like the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education train and certify Certified Facilitators in Addiction Awareness to deliver Addiction Awareness Lunch-and Learn programs and other workplace training activities for employees and managers that complement and supplement existing EAP services.

Read more: 6 low-cost apps to help employees with drug and alcohol addiction

The more workplaces normalize conversations about substance misuse, addiction and recovery, the more likely employees will proactively connect with EAP service providers or other community-based addiction and recovery resources. This proactive approach is much healthier than waiting for an accident or critical incident to occur.

The Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative has come a long way since it began in New Hampshire with only 29 companies participating in the pilot program. By the end of 2020, 279 businesses had signed up to participate in the initiative, which is picking up momentum and continues to grow beyond New Hampshire.

Currently over 20 states are working to implement their own Recovery Friendly Workplace initiatives. A partial list of states that sponsor Recovery Friendly Workplace initiatives and resources to help you learn more can be found here.

Despite the ongoing challenges of drug addiction in our post-COVID world, employers are recognizing the value of attracting and retaining top talent like never before. By creating Recovery Friendly Workplaces, employers are creating healthy workplaces where employees are able to easily get the help they need to bring their best selves to work.