Drug and substance abuse in the workplace is a serious situation that needs to be addressed quickly and accordingly. Not only does it compromise the safety of the office, it also leads to additional expense for the business. What is supposedly a company asset may turn out to be a major liability, and that is the least that you need in your aim for business growth.
Maintaining a drug-free workplace may not be limited only firing drug abusers in your midst. The worst case scenario is that this may only aggravate them and fuel the situation. Instead, promote proper education about the dangers of drug and substance abuse in the workplace.
Take note of these four tips to successfully implement a drug-free office:
1. Make an assessment of your resources and requirements
Achieving an entirely drug-free company is not a walk in the park. There are certain steps that you need to undergo, including assessing your resources and requirements. Some small companies which are less likely to hire a huge number of drug abusers may implement a basic program for employee assistance even without inviting a drug testing facility. This case may not work much larger organizations, though. In such case, a drug testing policy may have to implement with the employee assistance program.
2. Develop a written policy for drug or substance abuse
Make sure your employees know and respect your stand on drug abuse in the workplace by developing a written drug test policy. When setting the rules, make sure that you have considered not only your rights as employer, but also your employees’. Keep it short yet clear and concise. More importantly, the policy should reflect your stand on drug abuse as well as your work ethics and principles.
It is best to consult with an attorney in doing so to make sure that it does not defy any state and federal law.
3. Give your employees appropriate education and training
Now that you’ve come up with a solid policy against drugs, you need to make sure that your employees completely understand its content. Also, they need to constantly be updated to any changes made in the current policy.
To ensure awareness, you may distribute printed copies of the policy to each of your employees. Putting it up on the company website and sharing related videos can also help promote proper education.
4. Get your managers and supervisors involved
Your managers and supervisors are the people who have direct interaction with your employees, which is why they should be heavily involved in the implementation of your drug-free policy. Drug or substance abuse may easily affect an employee’s work performance, and your managers should be the first ones to detect this.
To keep your drug-free policy in check, place your managers and supervisors in training programs that will teach them how to identify a potential drug user. By being aware of its symptoms, they can easily detect drug-related problems in the office.
Takeaway
If your goal is to avoid hiring drug abusers in your company and to keep your employees drug-free, these are just a few tips that can help you achieve that goal. You may also implement a drug and alcohol testing policy in case of blatant observations. However, make sure that it adheres to state and federal regulations.