Employer efforts to address among employees are more important than ever, and these resources can help.
More than 13 million employees struggle with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the U.S., according to addiction education and mental health platform Addiction Center. Studies show that, on average, these workers miss twice the number of workdays as coworkers without a SUD, have a greater , injuries and disciplinary issues, have and morale, and cost the economy billions in work-related loss.
Employers have everything to gain from establishing themselves as a recovery-ready workplace -- one that provides support and resources to help employees overcome SUDs. Florida has given them a partner in this, recently establishing a Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Coalition to develop formal standards and training, as well as customized programs that allow businesses to become certified as a RFW.
"It's been the elephant in the room," says Cheryl Brown Merriwether, executive director of addiction and recovery education organization ICARE and Florida's RFW Coalition co-chair. "People struggling with these issues in the workplace is not a new thing, but the pandemic has exacerbated the problem and significantly increased it."
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Merriwether notes the strong correlation between SUDs and mental health disorders, both of which are being addressed as matters of great concern at local, state and federal levels, highlighting the urgency of action. She points to the U.S. Surgeon General's recent calls for increased attention to mental health, and the Biden-Harris administration's , which became available last November.
At the state level, Merriwether notes an example from New Hampshire, where Gov. Chris Sununu has put together the state's which helps business owners provide resources and support their employees need to pursue recovery. The model is now being picked up by states nationwide, and a platform called Higher Logic has been established to allow cross-communication between states interested in establishing a model of their own.
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Another resource, the , founded in January, offers best practices and criteria to employers, particularly pushing participation of large multi-state companies to become certified as recovery-friendly.
"There are four main areas that these initiatives look at in the workplace," Merriwether says. "[First] is examining substance use risk factors, and [second] is to have a plan to address them with policies and or with training and education, and that includes senior leadership all the way down to the frontline staff, to help them learn about this disease of substance use disorder. [Third] is encouraging employers to adopt fair-chance hiring and employment policies and procedures, and the last one is treatment and support."
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Merriwether emphasizes the wide reach of these practices across industries, and how it often only takes one strong proponent of the recovery movement for it to be a success in a workplace.
For instance, Merriwether recently embarked on a pilot program with first responders in Florida. Last month, she met with 15 fire chiefs and provided consulting services to help break down the stigma around SUDs and raise awareness for increased support among peers in first-responder roles. This kind of community sharing can be applied to any industry, and there are opportunities for leaders in any organization to become an advocate for recovery-friendly efforts in their own workplace.
"Every industry, every socioeconomic group is represented, and people can find information from whomever about whatever, because we're all sharing best practices very freely," Merriwether says. "And it's just getting started, so imagine where we'll be a year or two years or three years from now at the rate that we're going. It's very exciting."