Drug Awareness in the Workplace
Drug Awareness in the Workplace.
Employees are the lifeblood of any organisation. Their health and wellbeing are central to its sustainability. An organisation that supports its employees to make healthier choices and overcome problems is more likely to prosper, through higher productivity, improved staff retention and positive engagement (BITC)
With much of an employee’s time spent at work, managers are well placed to promote health and wellbeing, as well as to provide early intervention.
Having a drug policy in place does not mean there is an existing problem. An inclusive policy demonstrates a commitment to employee health, wellbeing and safety, providing health information, creating a supportive culture and encouraging employees to seek help if necessary. It sets out employer and employee responsibilities, explains what constitutes drug misuse and has fair and coherent procedures about managing drug related situations should they arise.
Drug awareness training supports the effectiveness of a drug policy by making sure all employees are familiar with and understand the rationale for the policy, know the organisation’s response and procedures about drug use and misuse, and are up to date with knowledge about drugs.
Disciplinary processes are less likely when an employee themselves discloses a problem, however, just over a quarter of employers provide information for employees about disclosing a problem with alcohol and/or drugs (27%). And just three in ten provide guidelines for managers on how to deal with disclosure and how to signpost to support. (CIPD report, 2020)