Workplace

Substance Use Prevention at Work

When much of our time is spent at work, it makes sense that the environment we work in can impact on our heath, and also on our choice of where to work.

Investing in workplace wellness is good for employee retention and for your bottom line. It costs an average of $4,000 to hire a new employee. Make the most of that investment for long term business and community success. Learn how a team's health and wellbeing can be protected.

Federal Recommendations

SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) recommends these worksite wellness practices:

1. A Written Policy
   A document that contains all wellness expectations and benefits helps everyone understand the same information and expectations consistently.
2. Employee Education
   Ensure staff know what benefits they have access to and how to take care of their wellness. This helps avoid burnout and contributes to a culture enjoyed by all.
3. Supervisor Training
   Policies, structures, and employee appreciation programs are created with good intentions, but may not have the right information. Take steps to learn about wellness, substance use disorders, and substance use stigma. This will help an establishment, and its staff make informed choices for their wellbeing and that of their team.
4. Workplace Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
   Many people rely on workplace benefits to manage health care for themselves and their family. EAPs can help employees with problems at work and at home that affect their job performance and tenure with a company.
5. Drug Testing
   Drug testing provides more control of a workplace but can narrow an employee pool. It also may not provide insight into the use of legal substances that impair workplace health, such as cannabis, tobacco, or alcohol. It's important to work with the Department of Labor to decide if testing is right for your workplace.

Tools and Resources

Score Cards and Assessment Tools

1. Healthy Us Scorecard
   An easy-to-use, online tool designed to promote healthy living. Employers, Community Organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Public Health Coalitions, and Economic Development Groups are using Healthy Us to create a healthy place to live, work, and play.
2. U.S. CDC Worksite Health Scorecard:
   Helps employers look at evidence-based worksite health promotion strategies to prevent substance use, chronic illness, cancers, obesity, and to promote a healthy workforce, increase productivity, and reduce the risk and associated cost of poor employee health.
3. National Safety Council's Substance Use at Work Cost Calculator:
   An easy-to-use tool for information about the cost of substance use (including alcohol, prescriptions, cannabis, and other substances) in their workplace based on size of employee base, industry, and state.
4. SAMHSA's Drug Free Workplace Toolkit:
   Supports workplace health and safety by addressing substance misuse within the context of workplace health and wellness programs, and providing intervention services for employees and for their families.

Trainings

1. Responsible Beverage Service Trainings:
   If a liquor license is a part of your business, consider a training to give your staff skills to protect you from fines and keep your staff and community safe. Contact the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations or your local prevention partner to learn about training options.
2. SAMHSA's Drug Free Workplace Supervisor Training:
   Ensure all supervisors understand their responsibilities for initiating and carrying out SAMHSA's drug-free workplace policy and program.
3. Work Force EAP
   Trainings, group discussions, services, and more for healthier staff. Comprehensive employee assistance programming (EAP), training, support, and consultation to contribute to wellness and safety, increase employee engagement, and positively impact your bottom line.

Initiatives and Programs

1. Connected with Opportunities Initiative:
   A Maine grant focused on workers affected by the opioid crisis. It can provide one-on-one career guidance, employment-based case management, and financial assistance to unemployed individuals impacted by opioid use disorder (personally or as an "affected other"). It can also assist out-of-work individuals who want to enter career fields focused on substance use disorder and recovery.
2. SAMHSA's Opioid Prevention @ Work Initiative:
   An interactive guide for employers to identify and prevent opioid and other substance misuse in the workplace.

Other Resources

1. Department of Labor Model Plans
   Resources to guide to assist employers in compliance with safety and health regulations.
2. Maine Prevention Store:
   Free print materials and digital downloads designed to improve health and help prevent tobacco use, substance use, and suicide in Maine.
3. Maine QuitLink:
   Access to phone coaching, online tools, and other resources for anyone looking to stop their tobacco use.
4. Maine Prevention Network:
   With guidance from the Maine CDC, community partners work to implement evidence-based prevention programming for Substance Use, Tobacco, Obesity, and Youth Engagement and Empowerment.