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November 17, 2023
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor released a Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit: Guidance and Resources for Private and Public Sector Employers. The Toolkit supports efforts to beat the opioid and overdose epidemic. It is designed to assist employers to prevent and effectively respond to employee substance misuse (defined as use of prescription drugs other than as prescribed or without a prescription, problem use of alcohol, or any use of illegal drugs), build workforces by hiring workers in recovery, and develop a culture that is supportive of those in recovery.
According to the Toolkit, employers not only are hit hard by substance use disorders, but also are positioned to address them in a way that benefits them, their employees, and the community. Left untreated, substance use disorders are costly to employers in the forms of missed workdays, reduced productivity, employee turnover, and increased healthcare costs. The disorders also can bring challenges to the hiring process and increase the risk of work-related accidents.
As a result, the Toolkit encourages employers to become “Recovery Ready Workplaces” to help reduce the stigma of substance use disorders and promote employment opportunities for those recovering from them.
The Toolkit offers an overview of Recovery-Ready Workplace policies and approaches to (1) recruiting and hiring; (2) prevention; (3) facilitating help-seeking and accommodating treatment and support needs; and (4) messaging, branding, and community engagement.
The Toolkit also offers Guidance on how to implement Recovery-Ready Workplace policies, beginning with an organizational assessment and moving to implementation and continual improvement.
Finally, the Toolkit collects resources, such as checklists; sample Recovery-Ready Workplace declarations; brief descriptions of selected Recovery-Ready Workplace initiatives led by companies, unions, or business groups, state or local government, or other entities; supplemental information on regulations and other topics; and a comparison of Recovery-Ready Workplace and Drug-Free Workplace Program approaches.
We can help you become a Recovery-Ready Workplace.
This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
