Educating Employees on Drug Testing

The success of a company's substance abuse policy depends on how well and how seriously that policy is communicated to employees. Even the best written policy can be completely ineffective if rank and file employees have no knowledge of it. The policy needs to be distributed to all employees with a letter from the president or top management expressing the seriousness of the new program. After reading, each employee should sign a contract stating that they understand all aspects and will comply with the program. Copies of the policy should hang in common areas like cafeterias and employee lounges as a constant reminder. All of these aspects are considered informal means of education. Other formal educational meetings also can prove useful. A meeting held with each division also should be provided. Details of the program should be discussed along with more general education on the effects of drugs and alcohol. Employees should be given an opportunity to ask questions and express their concerns with upper management present to answer questions.

Many smaller companies may not have specific knowledge on the subject of substance abuse or the time to properly cover the subject. An option to this problem is outsourcing. Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America have began a Drugs Don't Work program. They are targeting small companies because of the limited resources they possess. They can offer low-cost services and manuals on how to begin a program. These organizations and others like them can offer outside speakers, videos, and hotlines to help (Warner, 1996).

One last aspect of education that is vital to the success of a drug-free workplace program is the education of supervisors. Supervisors have the most contact with employees and they must have the knowledge that will enable them to spot problems. They need to have specific knowledge of all kinds of drugs and their possible effects. They need to be able to identify problem employees before a situation gets out of control. They must first recognize abuse. Indicators of drug or alcohol impairment include:

• performance problems
• physical appearance (side effects)
• lack of coordination
• inappropriate mood
• psychomotor agitation
• thought disturbance (Kelemen, 1995)

Once a problem is suspected, the supervisor needs to document related incidents. This documentation will be invaluable when confronting the abusing employee. The second step in solving the problem is to address the problem with the suspected abuser. Supervisors must be trained to accomplish this task peacefully but forcefully. Three suggestions for the confrontation include (DeLancey, 1995):

• Start by expressing concerns over the change in the employees work performance
• Use documentation of specific examples to back up your position
• Clearly express expectations for change in work behavior and offer possible suggestions

"It is not the supervisor's role to determine the cause of such changes but rather to manage these job performance problems as he or she would and other performance issue" (DeLancey, 1995).