Involve Key Employees

An important note in developing a Drug-Free Workplace Program: involve representation from all levels within your company, from entry-level employees to managers, team leaders, division heads, and upper-level management. It is wise to have whoever is going to be covered by the policy represented. If your employees are unionized, you will need to involve the union throughout the process.

Your team should include employees who

• Will give you reliable information about substance use problems (not just tell you what they think you want to hear)
• Are representative of the rest of your employees, reflecting their racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity
• Believe in the concept of a drug-free workplace policy and program as a strategy for making the workplace safe, protecting workers’ health, and increasing productivity
• Believe in encouraging coworkers to seek help for substance use–related problems
• Are trusted by you and the rest of your employees
• Communicate well
• Are knowledgeable about personnel issues in general and your personnel policies in particular
• Understand the legal and safety requirements relevant to your industry and the types of safety-sensitive job positions in your workplace
• It is unlikely that everyone on your team will have all these characteristics. If your team as a whole exhibits these characteristics, you have chosen well.

This information is from SAMHSA's Drug-Free Workplace Kit.

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