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Held annually in October, Drug-Free Work Week is a public
awareness campaign intended to highlight the fact that being drug
free is key to protecting workplace safety and health and to
encourage workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help.
Drug-Free Work Week is sponsored by DOL and implemented
collaboratively with members of its
Drug-Free Workplace Alliance and several other organizations,
including government agencies, non-profit associations and private
companies.
The true spirit of Drug-Free Work Week lies in activities
conducted by individual employers and their employees, and this Web page
offers a number of specific suggestions for how organizations of all
sizes and in all industries can participate. Ideas range from simple to
comprehensive, but all help promote safer, healthier workplaces through
substance abuse prevention and intervention and represent wise business
practices that can be implemented at any time of the year. Although
Drug-Free Work Week is a dedicated time each year to place special
emphasis on the importance of working drug free, in
a safe and healthy workplace, every week is Drug-Free Work Week.
- Implement a Drug-Free Workplace Program – Drug-Free Work Week is the perfect time to launch a Drug-Free Workplace
Program if your organization does not already have one. Such programs are natural complements to other initiatives that help protect
worker safety and health. To learn more about them, visit DOL's
Working Partners Web site. In particular, the site's
Drug-Free Workplace Advisor Program Builder offers detailed guidance on how to develop a Drug-Free Workplace Program,
starting with the first step: a written policy.
- Promote your Drug-Free Workplace Program – If your organization already has a Drug-Free Workplace Program,
Drug-Free Work Week is a logical time to ensure the program is adequate to meet current needs and to remind employees about its important role in
keeping them safe while on the job. One way to do this is to distribute to all employees a copy of your drug-free workplace policy,
along with a positive message about valuing health and safety, and then provide an opportunity for them to ask questions about it,
perhaps through an open forum or privately.
- Train supervisors - Supervisors are the individuals closest to an organization’s workforce. As part
of Drug-Free Work Week, organizations can conduct training to ensure supervisors understand their organization's
policy on alcohol and drug use; ways to deal with workers who have performance problems that may be related to substance abuse;
and how to refer employees to available assistance. Working Partners offers more
information on Supervisor Training, including ready-to-use training materials.
- Educate workers - To achieve a drug-free workplace, it is critical that an organization educate its workers about the nature
of alcohol and drug use and its negative impact on workplace safety and productivity.
Drug-Free Work Week is a natural time to
step up such efforts through training sessions, guest speakers or brown-bag lunches. Working Partners offers more
information on
Employee Training, including ready-to-use training materials. If employee education is already a regular activity, a
Drug-Free Work
Week program could be offered on a specific timely topic such as the abuse of prescription drugs or methamphetamine.
- Remind employees about the availability of EAP or MAP services - If your organization has an Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) or Member Assistance Program (MAP), Drug-Free Work Week presents a perfect opportunity to remind them of its availability.
Such programs offer free, confidential services to help all employees, including supervisors, resolve personal and workplace problems,
such as substance abuse. They also offer confidential substance abuse screenings as well as brief intervention, if warranted, and
help employees locate local treatment resources. Working Partners offers
more information about EAPs.
- Offer health screening - Organizations can use Drug-Free Work Week to encourage employees to assess their
own use of alcohol and drugs and privately determine if they need help to change their behavior. For example,
organizations can inform employees about the confidential, self-administered online screening tool
Alcohol Screening.org
and make sure all employees have access to the Internet in a private location in case they want to use it. Availability
of confidential substance abuse screenings by qualified professionals could also be publicized and offered by the
EAP health unit, and/or occupational nurse.
- Publicize available community treatment resources - Whether or not an organization has an onsite EAP or health
unit, help for substance abuse problems is likely available nearby through a hospital, local health department or
stand-alone
Substance Abuse Treatment Center. Furthermore, self-help programs, such as the 12-step programs of
Alcoholics Anonymous
and Al-Anon,
are free and available in communities nationwide. Drug-Free Work Week is a
great time to remind employees about community resources that can be helpful for a person struggling with a substance
abuse problem or those who are close to him or her.
- Review your health insurance policy - Coverage for substance abuse treatment makes it more likely that employees
struggling with alcohol and drug problems will seek help proactively. Review your health insurance policy to see if
substance abuse treatment is covered, and if it is not, consider discussing the prospect of adding coverage with whoever
handles your organization's health benefits.
- Allow employees time to volunteer in community drug prevention efforts - Drug-Free Work Week offers the
chance to show commitment to substance abuse prevention both inside and outside the workplace. One way to promote an
organization's dedication is to grant employees time off to volunteer to assist with efforts to prevent substance abuse
in the larger community or organize a team of volunteers to support a local prevention initiative. Such efforts often
are coordinated by schools, faith-based organizations and
community anti-drug coalitions.
- Create a Drug-Free Workplace Display - Drug-Free Work Week is a great time to freshen up bulletin
boards in break areas or other locations that employees frequent by posting positive messages about the importance of
being drug-free to their safety and that of their coworkers. Start by putting up the DOL Working Partner's
poster which is fitting for virtually
all industries and work environments. Additional display materials could include
a copy of the company's drug-free workplace policy, a list of local and
national helplines for employees who may have a problem with alcohol or drugs, and EAP contact information, if applicable.
- Feature Drug-Free Work
Week in the employee newsletter or Intranet - Drug-Free Work Week offers timely and
fresh content for an employee newsletter or internal Web site. Articles could be on a range of topics, including general
information about substance abuse and its impact in the workplace environment; sources of help for workers with substance abuse problems; and actions workers can take if they think a colleague may
have a substance abuse problem. An easy way to do this is to
reproduce one or more "drop-in" articles available.
- Distribute a payroll message listing helplines or a reminder about Drug-Free Work
Week for employees - Paychecks
are one thing that every employee pays attention to! Provide additional value during Drug-Free Work Week by including
a leaflet or message listing sources of help for those with substance abuse problems or a simple reminder that it is
Drug-Free Work
Week and a good time to re-commit to working drug-free. An easy way to do this is to
print and reproduce a ready-to-use payroll message.
- Hold a social event celebrating safety and health - A social event with plenty of food, fun and non-alcoholic
drinks can help reinforce the importance of being drug free to working safely and remind workers that alcohol is not
necessary to unwind and relax. The theme for such an event could be one of general health and wellness, with door prizes
such as gift certificates for local health clubs or recreational activities. Working Partners provides a number of
tips on how to create alcohol-free
workplace parties.
For more ideas on how to recognize Drug-Free Work Week, employers and workers may want to contact various
national
substance abuse prevention
organizations or their local
community anti-drug coalition.
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