If you’re a workplace manager or owner and you’ve just spent the entire festive season concerned, it’s time to do something about it. Instead of worrying that an employee under the influence will hurt themselves or someone else, or cause an accident that could threaten your productivity, make a New Year’s resolution to implement workplace drug and alcohol management this year.
But how do you go about it? Implementing drug and alcohol management and all the important pieces that go with it is daunting for most business people, so Integrity Sampling has compiled this summary.
Develop a drug and alcohol policy
Before you do anything else, you need to develop a drug and alcohol policy. It will need to be detailed and robust. It will include key aspects such as your aims, your responsibilities, the responsibilities of management and employees, the testing you’ll carry out, the procedures that you’ll follow when someone fails a test and how you will communicate the policy to your employees.
Where to go for more information on developing a drug and alcohol policy:
- See our drug and alcohol management page.
Implement drug and alcohol testing
Not every workplace needs to implement drug and alcohol testing as part of their drug and alcohol management. If you work in an industry where safety is priority, however, conducting testing is a vital tool in reducing risks associated with drugs and alcohol.
Like developing your overall drug and alcohol management plan, implementing testing can be a daunting task. There are a lot of details to address before the first test is conducted, otherwise you can get your employees offside and leave yourself open for issues.
Where to go for help on implementing drug and alcohol testing in your workplace:
- See our drug testing and alcohol testing
- Take a look at our comprehensive guide on implementing testing in a workplace.
Drug and alcohol education
Educating your employees about drug and alcohol is vital, for several reasons.
Most importantly, you’ll want to introduce them to your new drug and alcohol policy and the way your workplace will be managing drugs and alcohol going forward. You’ll also want to get their support for the introduction of any drug and alcohol testing.
Plus, you’ll want to provide education about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, in general and specifically in the workplace. Most people want to do the right thing. But they may not be aware, for example, that you can still be over the legal limit and unsafe to work after a big night out before coming to work the next day.
Where to go for more details about drug and alcohol education:
Support for people with drug and alcohol issues
Offering support for individuals grappling with drug and alcohol issues in the workplace is also important. Such support not only aids in addressing personal challenges but also fosters a safer and more productive environment. It promotes a culture of understanding and care, encouraging individuals to seek assistance without fear of repercussions.
While larger workplace may provide this support in-house, small and medium businesses are more likely to access off-site support.
Where to go for further details on drug and alcohol support:
- See our post on drug and alcohol support.
- Community support can include Alcoholics Anonymous, Family Drug Support, Lifeline and general practitioners.
- The Alcohol and Drug Foundation have an excellent resource for searching for local help and support services.
Tackle drug and alcohol management with one phone call
Implementing drug and alcohol management isn’t easy, but there is a way of making the process simpler and more efficient. Phone Integrity Sampling on 1300 725 482.
We can help your workplace every step of the way. While drug and alcohol testing is our bread and butter, we can also help businesses develop drug and alcohol policies and provide education for employees.
Simply contact us today. We’ll make 2024 the year that you get your drug and alcohol management on track.
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Make 2024 the year that you get your workplace drug and alcohol management on track. Credit Arron Choi https://unsplash.com/photos/construction-worker-men-holding-hammer-fYD54gVXFGM
