How to Educate Your Employees about a New Workplace Drug Testing Program

When you choose to implement a drug testing program in your company, you should accompany that move with efforts to educate your staff and to provide resources that will help them understand the dangers or seek treatment. Below are some strategies that can guide your education efforts.

The Basics of Employee Drug Awareness Education

All of your employees at all levels of the company need to receive some type of drug awareness education. Not only does such training make implementing the drug testing policy easier but the knowledge you provide can help improve the health of your workers. You can choose numerous methods for completing this education. Some companies have the best success with presentations either in small or large groups. The presentation may include multimedia elements, several professional speakers, and possibly even former drug abusers who have learned about the costs of drug abuse the hard way.

While this strategy can be effective, it is not always the most efficient method. You can also use memos, Intranet information, fact lists, and paycheck stuffers to inform workers about the dangers of drug abuse.

Complementary Efforts

While working hard to reduce drug use in the office, you must also be responsive to the causes of drug abuse. One of the main causes is stress. Providing seminars on stress management techniques, encouraging workers to do some stress-relieving activities throughout the day, and possibly finding ways to improve relaxation at the office could all help reduce the likelihood of drug abuse. Because stress is also one of the leading causes of absences in the United States, helping your staff control theirs better could also improve their productivity.

However, stress management programs are only part of a bigger picture. As an employer, you can take a more active role in helping your staff become healthier. You can provide medical screenings for high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar for free to your staff periodically. You could invite nutritionists and other medical staff to the office to provide useful information about good health. All of these efforts won’t just be helping workers either. Workers who do not smoke and who manage their weight miss less work and cost less in insurance premiums.

Preparing for the Awareness Training

Before your staff begins attending these education training sessions, you should first acquaint them with the new drug policy. The policy should be printed as a letter, memo, or email to ensure that everyone on the staff receives a copy. Time should be permitted for the workers to review the document and formulate questions before attending the meeting. Make sure that presenters during the seminars are well-versed in the new policy and are capable of answering questions accurately.

Additionally, you want to ensure that you have all of the resources necessary for the training. Handouts, transparencies, brochures, videos, and a number of other resources can be valuable during these sessions.

During the session, you should clearly review the rationale for the policy, the requirements employees must fulfill in order to meet the demands of the new policy, and resources where employees who need assistance can go for help. Remember that the meeting and the information about the new policy need to be given to workers at least 30 days before the scheduled implementation date.