Drugs & Alcohol in the Workplace - What's Your Policy?

Drugs & Alcohol in the Workplace - What's Your Policy?

• 1.
  Drugs & Alcoholin the Workplace
• 2.
  Alcohol and druguse among employees and their family members can be an expensive problem for businesses, with issues including: • lost productivity • absenteeism • injuries • fatalities • theft • low employee morale • increase in health care • legal liabilities • workers' compensation costs DRUGS & ALCOHOL IN THE WORKPLACE
• 3.
  The impact ofalcoholism and drug dependence in the workplace often focuses on four major issues: In addition, family members living with someone’s alcoholism or drug use may also suffer significant job performance related problems -- including absenteeism, lack of focus, increased health-related problems and use of health insurance. Premature death/fatal accidents Injuries/accident rates Absenteeism/extra sick leave Loss of production FOCUS ON FOUR ISSUES
• 4.
  Food service Construction Mining andDrilling Excavation Installation, Maintenance and Repair ALCOHOL IN THE WORKPLACE While alcoholism can affect any industry and any organization, big or small, workplace alcoholism is especially prevalent in these particular industries, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD):
• 5.
  DRUGS IN THEWORKPLACE SOME FACTS ABOUT DRUGS IN THE WORKPLACE: • Workers who report having three or more jobs in the past five years are about twice as likely to be current or past-year illegal drug users than those with two or fewer jobs. • Seventy percent of the estimated 14.8 million Americans who use illegal drugs are employed. • Marijuana remains the most common illegal drug abused by employees. Marijuana is now legal for medical use in many states, but it is still fully illegal in Georgia. • Non-medical use of prescription drugs has now replaced cocaine as the second-most abused drug).
• 6.
  EVERY COMPANY NEEDSA POLICY Three of these common principles relate to what should be included in every employer’s drug- and alcohol-abuse-prevention policy: Why the company established the policy What precisely is expected of employees, and What the consequences are for policy violations
• 7.
  [Company] is committedto protecting the safety, health, and well-being of its employees and all people who come into contact with its workplace(s) and property, and/or use its products and services. Recognizing that drug and alcohol abuse pose a direct and significant threat to this goal, [Company] is committed to ensuring a substance-free working environment for all of its employees. [Company] therefore strictly prohibits the illicit use, possession, sale, conveyance, distribution, or manufacture of illegal drugs, intoxicants, or controlled substances in any amount or in any manner. In addition, [Company] strictly prohibits the abuse of alcohol or prescription drugs. Any violation of this policy will result in adverse employment action up to and including dismissal and referral for criminal prosecution. SIMPLICITY IS THE BEST POLICY The Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace says that an effective substance abuse prevention policy may be as simple as five sentences. Here is a sample: [Company] is committed to protecting the safety, health, and well-being of its employees and all people who come into contact with its workplace(s) and property, and/or use its products and services. Recognizing that drug and alcohol abuse pose a direct and significant threat to this goal, [Company] is committed to ensuring a substance-free working environment for all of its employees. [Company] therefore strictly prohibits the illicit use, possession, sale, conveyance, distribution, or manufacture of illegal drugs, intoxicants, or controlled substances in any amount or in any manner. In addition, [Company] strictly prohibits the abuse of alcohol or prescription drugs. Any violation of this policy will result in adverse employment action up to and including dismissal and referral for criminal prosecution.
• 8.
  Some companies mayrequire a more elaborate policy that might include: • Additional provisions about drug testing • Employee assistance programs • Substance searches • Drug-Free Workplace Act requirements MarathonHR is here to help you develop as basic or as complex a policy as your business needs. Call us at 678-208-2802. SOME POLICIES MAY BE MORE COMPLEX