Six Ways to Max Out Your Working Partners® Consortium Membership

(Fall 2016) So, you’re a Working Partners® Consortium member. YEAH! You pay our invoice each year and make sure your drug-free workplace (DFWP) program is running in the background of your day-to-day business operations.

You read all of the emails we send you (wink, wink) to stay apprised of drug trends and related issues that could impact your business. And you even look forward (hopefully) to receiving notification that this very site has new articles waiting for you to read each quarter.

But what about the other aspects of your Working Partners® Consortium benefits? Are you making good use of those? If not, here are six benefits you should definitely consider taking a closer look at:

1. Discounts and special offers – We know you’re committed to running a successful drug-free workplace (DFWP) and want to do what we can to be helpful. Therefore, all our members receive a discount when they purchase any of our products or services. We even run special promotions from time to time. Speaking of which with Ohio’s medical marijuana law recently going into effect we created a packet of resources to help you understand how this new law impacts your business and what your employees can and can’t do under the law. The Ohio Marijuana HB 523 Coaching Package is a $30 value that you, our Consortium member, get it for FREE.
2. Drug testing – Besides your supervisors, this is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal to help enforce your drug-free workplace program. These are tests you want to have done correctly, following the highest level of quality assurance and procedures. Because of the role testing plays in your program, we’ve partnered with national vendors who have local collection sites and meet our high standards for testing and negotiated special pricing discounts for our Consortium members. These discounts are lower than comparable tests and services you’d find elsewhere. As an added bonus, because we have a relationship with both you and the drug testing vendor if anything should happen to go sideways or you have questions, we can intercede on your behalf and get you answers.

3. Troubleshooting – No matter how great your education and training is or how well your employees know your policy, things can still catch you off guard and leave you wondering “What am I supposed to do about this?” That’s where our troubleshooting services come into play. Just because you have a drug-free workplace program doesn’t mean we expect you to be an expert on all things drug-free related. That’s what we’re here for. If you find yourself spending more than 10 minutes thinking through an issue, pick up the phone and call us – free of charge.

4. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) – If an employee admits to struggling with alcohol and/or drug abuse or a drug test comes back positive, it is important to have helping resources on-the-ready to share with your employee. We find EAPs are not only qualified to help with these issues but can help employees navigate other personal issues that could distract them from their job. In fact, according to a 2014 study from the EASNA, work absenteeism caused by personal issues dropped almost 44% after 30 days of EAP use. As with drug testing, we researched EAP providers and negotiated special pricing discounts with qualified, national providers for Consortium members. Additionally, we can serve as an ombudsman between you and the EAP provider if the need ever arises.

5. DFWP Legal Services – Your DFWP program must work in concert with your other corporate policies and in accordance with related laws, e.g., laws surrounding search and seizure, liability issues, compliance with federal, state and local laws. No matter what happens with your DFWP program, we want to make sure you have all your bases covered. There are times when you have a concern better explored with a lawyer. In these cases, Consortium members qualify for special pricing to work with the lawyer we rely upon to maintain the drug-free workplace policies that we customize and sell. Who better to help you out than one who is intimately familiar with your DFWP policy and employment law?

6. Background screenings – This is a relatively new offering for Consortium members. We know it can be stressful to find the right person to fill a job opening. And with 50% or more resumes containing inaccuracies, background screening can be a good way to double-check what an applicant is telling you. However, we know that this service can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses. So we decided to find a vendor who could help and, as with many of the Consortium benefits, get you special pricing on their services.

See anything on this list that would benefit your business? If so, reach out to us so we can help set you up for the service. We want you to make the most of your Consortium member benefits (and are taking full advantage of all the cost savings we can offer you). We value you as a member and want to make sure you get the most value of your membership.