Communicating with Employees About Your Drug-Free Workplace

Good communication with your employees is an essential function in all workplaces, and extremely important when dealing with the company’s drug-free workplace program. When working with employees, supervisors must be aware of potential employment–related legal issues and practice standards.  When the interaction includes discussions of substance use, the supervisor must also be aware of and understand the disease nature of substance use, substance use disorders, and addiction.

Supervisors should prepare ahead by ensuring they have followed all the required steps of the drug-free workplace program and are complying with the typical standards of successful interaction with their staff member.  How the communication takes place is just as important as what is being said.  Supervisors should maintain a calm, fair, and consistent demeanor when communicating with employees and discuss only the observed facts.

Here are some best practices to use, and some to avoid, in order to keep your drug-free workplace communication both professional and non-judgmental.

Yes!  These are best practices!

• Establish acceptable levels of work performance and expectations. Make the expectations clear.

• Document all absenteeism, tardiness, incidents on the job, and poor or impaired job performance.  Include specific details.

• Be consistent.  Don’t play favorites or give special considerations to certain employees.  Treat all staff equally.

• Base discussions with the employee only on job performance, not a suspected substance use disorder or problem, or personal problems.

• Let him/her know you want to help, but be firm and speak with authority.

• Be prepared to cope with resistance, defensiveness, and perhaps even hostility.  One effective method is to discuss your feelings of concern first, then move to a discussion of observed signs, symptoms, behaviors, and job performance.

• Provide information to the employee and make the appropriate referral in accordance with company policy.  Seek a commitment from the employee to utilize the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if one is available, or other means of referral.

• Seek a commitment to improve performance.

• Continue to monitor and document employee behavior.

• Know resources for where employees or their loved ones can seek help for a substance use problem.

No! These are practices to avoid!

• Being a diagnostician or counselor.  Avoid labeling and accusations.

• Making value judgments.  It is better to say “I expect [name the specific performance criteria]” or “[name the specific behavior exhibited] was unacceptable” rather than “I think you are wrong.”

• Moralizing.  Avoid “should,” “shouldn’t,” and “don’t you know better.”  These kinds of remarks foster hostility.

• Asking “why.”  A “why” question opens you up to hearing a variety of excuses and sympathy-evoking tactics.

• Allowing him/her to begin rationalizing his/her behavior.  The employee is always responsible for his/her own behavior and job performance.

• Making idle disciplinary threats.  Follow through with your warnings according to policy guidelines and establish specific check-back dates and expectations. Don’t discuss drinking unless it occurred on the job or affected job performance or attendance.

• Covering-up for a friend.  Your misguided kindness could lead to a serious, or even fatal, delay in real help reaching him/her.

Are there suggestions you have to add to the above list?  If so, what would you include?