Once your recovery responsive workforce policy is established and written, you'll want to ensure each of your diverse teams are not only trained on the new policy, but that they understand how to support employees experiencing substance misuse issues, as well as their unique roles in enforcing the policy while simultaneously maintaining a positive workforce culture.

 

Understanding the Roles of Your Team:

• Employer's Role: The employer is key to the success of the new workplace policy, as well as the strategies and programs that support that policy. Workplace leaders must show support and set the right tone for these efforts. Employees need to understand the rationale for the policy and program in ways that are practical, personally meaningful, and relevant to their job responsibilities.

• Human Resources’ Role: HR staff have a responsibility to protect the safety and privacy of employees. They are also responsible for communicating the policy and program to new hires and current employees in the right ways at the right times.

• Supervisors' Role: Supervisors have numerous responsibilities that are critical to the success of your new workplace policy and program. They are often the first to notice and to be informed of a possible problem, and they must be fair and consistent in enacting the policy.

 

Implementing Employee Education

Substance misuse education and prevention are ongoing processes. Many employees do not seek help for their alcohol, prescription drug, or other drug problems because they are concerned that these problems may be negatively viewed or they will be fired. Employees will be more willing to seek the help they need when there is a recovery responsive policy in place and they have an understanding that employers care for their overall health and well-being.

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You'll want to communicate the value your organization places on your employee's personal health, as well as the health of their families and communities. An employee education program should clearly communicate the hazards of substance use and the benefits of avoiding it. When designing prevention and ongoing education efforts, management teams should consider addressing the concerns of employees who are:

• Interested in a range of health promotion and wellness issues—such as stress management, pain management, nutrition and disease prevention;

• Concerned family members who want to learn how to effectively communicate with other family members about substance misuse, etc.;

• Concerned about their own or their peers' substance misuse;

• Interested in being part of community-based prevention activities;

• Interested in confidential, one-on-one education on addiction and related behavioral health issues; and

• interested in learning more about providing education and training for staff.

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