First-Of-Its-Kind Survey Shows Employers Could Do More to Create a Drug-Free Workforce

(Fall 2017) For years media has reported on the struggles of businesses as they relate to alcohol and other drugs.  But one thing has always been missing from these reports – hard data.  Sure, the reports include first-hand experiences from employers and other experts, but what’s been reported – and repeated – has either been anecdotal or on a sampling too small to be representative.

Why is hard data difficult to come by?  Because there haven’t been quantitative studies done on the issue … until now.

First-of-its-kind survey

The Working Partners® Drug-Free Workforce Community Initiative (DFWCI) Business Survey assessed the perceptions, attitudes, knowledge and practices of businesses in 17 counties as they relate to preventing and addressing the harmful use of substances in the workplace and workforce.  The preliminary highlights, released at the end of September, indicate that employers can do more to maintain Ohio’s employable drug-free workforce.

Specifically, of the 3,229 business respondents, one in three reported that their business does not administer any of the five components of a drug-free workplace (DFWP) program, or don’t know if they do.  And most businesses that do not administer DFWP programs have less than 25 employees.

Overall, the survey had a significant representation of small businesses (41.6%), a group that is generally not well-represented in surveys of this kind. Many respondents, 42.9%, were from the service industry, followed by manufacturing (17.7%) and over half of the people who responded were owners/operators or upper management.

Of the respondents who are doing one or more of the five drug-free workplace program components, additional information was gathered:

• Policy – About 50% have a significant (more than one page long) written policy with operations.
• Employee Education – About one in four (26.4%) respondents provide yearly employee education.*
• Supervisor Training – Only 23.7% offer yearly supervisor training.*
• Alcohol and Drug Testing – Just over 60% of respondents conduct drug tests.  This number increases substantially when small businesses’ (1 – 24 employees) responses are removed from the calculations – meaning that small businesses are less likely to test.
  • The businesses who do not drug test reported not knowing why they aren’t testing or are operating on the thought that they don’t need to test.
• Assistance for Employees – 40% don’t have or don’t know if they have a resource to send employees to for help. And about a third reported they were not familiar with their tax-supported alcohol and drug services in the county.

*One in eight businesses said they don’t know if they offer education or training, which either means that they’re not doing it, or it’s not very meaningful.

Additionally, respondents were asked about thoughts, policies and procedures regarding offering assistance following a positive drug test:

• Less than 50% think treatment works.
• Only one in twelve would hire an applicant who tested positive, but later came back after having been assessed and cleared by a counselor and tested negative (which is generally best practice and aligns with American’s with Disabilities Act [ADA] guidelines).
• Almost 27% terminate current employees if they test positive.
• About 25% handle a positive test of current employees on a case by case basis.
• Only 31% employ second chance policies and let current employees who tested positive for a substance return to work after being been cleared by a professional counselor and tested negative. (Generally, DFWP program best practices mirrors federal standards and aligns with ADA guidelines.)

(The survey explored many other aspects of how alcohol and other drug use impacts businesses and employer behavior. This data will be released by the survey’s funder, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Drug Addiction Services, later this fall.)

How do you measure up?

Having hard data is only beneficial if it is used.  The results of this survey provide a baseline comparison for all businesses. Not only in these 17 Ohio counties but nationwide.  It’s a reminder to examine your DFWP program and see if you are doing everything you can to prevent and respond to the harmful use of substances by your employees.

Communities are in turbulent times right now regarding drug use.  Overdose deaths continue to rise, Ohio is on the cusp of operationalizing a law to legalize the use of marijuana as medicine, and the rate of positive workplace tests has increased at an unprecedented four years in a row. But employers hold a lot of power. Are you doing everything you could be doing?