COMP NEWS – Around seven in ten people with an addiction to drugs or alcohol are employed in a workplace. Modern employers can use a variety of tools and resources to create a supportive space for such workers – and it could help with employee retention.

Employers play an important role in an employee’s recovery from addiction and substance use disorders. But they need the right tools to ensure their support makes a difference. 

 

Around 70% of those with an addiction to drugs or alcohol are also employed, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. While around 72% of those will be in recovery at some point in their lives, the path to get there can be challenging and hard-fought.

 

But instead of going through this journey alone, employees should feel safe asking for guidance from their employers. It’s not only the right thing to do, but a bigger social responsibility, says Cheryl Brown Merriwether, executive director at ICARE, which provides HR training and advocacy around addiction. 

The federal government recently offered a helping hand – the Biden administration has developed and released a workplace toolkit for employers to gain information and resources about creating a recovery-friendly workplace model.

Employers don’t have to navigate these complex issues on their own — in November, 2023, the Biden administration released a Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit, a resource based on the recovery-friendly workplace model created by the state of New Hampshire. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide a framework for employers to shift their culture to be more accepting of addiction, and then provide resources for making care and support more accessible.  

 

A recovery-friendly workplace involves creating a psychologically safe work environment through collaboration between business leaders and the community. Having the federal government back this issue will not only provide funding, but will formalize the kinds of programs and benefits available to those in recovery from addiction, Merriwether says. 

 

“What that will do is provide guidance and standards by which companies can formalize these best practices,” she says. “You’ve got the governing bodies, the business community and the other key stakeholders in those communities who are working together.”

To read more about employers creating recovery-friendly workplaces, click here.

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