Fitness For WorkLeigh Cleary

Senior Workforce Development Project Officer

DAO

National AOD Perspective

• 80% of Australians consumed alcohol during the past 12 months

• 39% drank at short-term risk levels

• 20% drank at long-term risk levels

• 35.4% had used cannabis at some time in their life and 10.3% had used in the previous 12 months

• 7.4% have used prescription drugs for non medical purposes at some time in their life, while 4.2% have used during the past 12 months

2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey report

July 2011

Illicit Drug Use

Drugs, Alcohol, and Work…

• Drug and alcohol problems effect most people within the community

• The workplace has been seen as a potential site for strategies to reduce these harms, as the majority of people that have AOD problems are employed

• The workplace itself can influence AOD use (+ve or -ve)

• The majority of businesses in Australia, and elsewhere, do not have formal policies and constructive responses to AOD use within the workplace (Allsop et al.)

The Economic and Social Impacts of Alcohol

• The cost to the Australian community from alcohol-related harm is estimated to be at least $15.3 billion per year. Much of this cost is borne outside the health system and includes road accidents (over $2 billion), crime ($1.6 billion) and lost productivity in the home ($1.5 billion) (Collins & Lapsley 2008)

• It is estimated that the harm to others caused by Australian drinkers costs the community $20 billion a year, on top of the estimated $15.3 billion described above (Laslett et al. 2010)

The Economic and Social Impacts of Alcohol

• Lost productivity in the workplace attributable to alcoholcosts $3.5 billion annually

• Alcohol-related absenteeism costs between $437 millionand $1.2 billion annually

• Employee illnesses attributed to alcohol and other drug use costs $2 billion annually

• Additional hours worked as a consequence of having a heavy drinking colleague costs $453 million annually

VicHealth and NDRI: Reducing alcohol-related harm in the workplace An evidence review: summary report

Direct impact of AOD use in the workplace

• Accidents

• Absenteeism

• Lower productivity

• Staff turnover

• Costs to the individual employee

• Costs to other employees

Drugs and Alcohol are an employee’s private problem right?

Responsibility of employers

• While many employers would prefer not to interfere in an issue which is often seen as being ‘the private lives of employees’, there are statutory obligations on employers that require some level of active management of drug and alcohol issues

• Recognition that alcohol and other drug use is as much a workplace issue as it is a community issue is the first step in creating meaningful and effective change through informed policy development and cultural shifts

Key reasons for employers to respond

• Ethical (it’s the right thing to do)

• Required to provide a safe workplace (Legal)

• Effective responses can save money (economic)

So what can you do as an employer??

• There is no magic bullet • Drug and alcohol use can be a very complex issue to

deal with and may require a number of different initiatives in order to deal with it effectively and in a cost efficient manner

• There are a few questions that you (as an employer) must ask yourself…

1) What is drug use and how does it affect my workplace?2) What are the factors that influence someone to use

drugs or alcohol at work? 3) What kind of cost effective and efficient responses can

we implement?

The Drug and Alcohol Office Provides

• An in-depth consultation meeting with agency staff, usually:

- OSH Manager/Director

- Union Rep

- Agency Manager/Director

- Key Stakeholders

Purpose of this consultation

• To get a picture of what is happening for that particular workplace

• Identify key issues• Identify deficits (policy/procedure/practices)• Identify factors that may contribute to the

problem• Inform stakeholders of the Macro issues that the

broader community in general face with relation to AOD use

• Examine options

Common workplace factors that may impact on AOD use

• Industry in which you work• Availability of alcohol or other drugs• Workplace culture• Amount of perceived stress in one’s job• Isolated environment (away from family or

friends)• Disposable income• Boredom• Gender and Age• Management style (lack of supervision)

Individual counselling model

• Presenting issue (what's happening?)• Predisposing issue (what has made this

person susceptible?)• Precipitating issue (what has brought

about this issue?)• Perpetuating issue (why is this issue not

going away?)• Protective factors (what factors can help

curb this issue?)

Workplace AOD Model

• Presenting issue (what is happening in the workplace?)

• Predisposing issue (Why is this organisation susceptible to AOD issues?) –location?gender?work type?

• Precipitating issue (Why has your agency decided to act?)

• Perpetuating Factors (What factors maintain AOD use?)

• Protective Factors (How can the organisation protect their staff?)

Precipitating:What has prompted your

agency to respond

Perpetuating FactorsWhat fuels the

AOD issue

Protective Factors:Positive factors to

consider

Predisposing:Why is this workplace

Susceptible?

Presenting:AOD Workforce

Issues

Location? Work Type?

Gender? Age?

Income? Availability?

Low Supervision? Boredom?

Workplace culture?

Policies and Procedures?

EAP’s? Health Promotion?

Education? Role Modelling?

Regular issues? Reporting?

Absenteeism? Cost?

Injuries?

Effective and efficient responses

- Policy and Procedures

AOD Policy: A Ten Step Guideline (Allsop, Ask, and Duffy, 2001)Step 1: Consultation

• Consultation ensures that relevant stakeholders have been approached and have had their say regarding the policy (workers, HR, unions etc.)

• Determine mutually acceptable goals

• Ensure the policy is credible

Step 2: Universal application to all employees

• A policy that is selective and applies only to ‘rank and file’ employees is likely to engender resentment and compromise policy uptake

• This must be clearly stated in the policy that is applies to management as well as employees, and that it applies to all worksites and external contractors

Step 3: Organisation Specific

• Different organisation work differently, have different environments, and have different cultures present. It is unlikely that a generic AOD policy will work in any given environment. It needs to organisation-specific in order to address issues in individual workplaces (possible different branches of the same organisation may need to slightly adjust policies to suit)

• Unions may also have a vested interest in policy and should be part of the consultation process

Step 4: Policies must be comprehensive

• Not merely state rules about consumption within the workplace. The policy must spell out whether or not the workplace is a “dry” site, or whether it allows some alcohol use and the circumstances under which it may occur

Step 5: Instructions and procedures for responding to drug related incidents

• Must contain clear instructions and procedures• Name the person or position that will approach

the potentially drug-impaired workers• What counselling/treatment procedures are in

place• Procedure of the interview following the initial

approach• Details of disciplinary action that may be taken

against the employee

Step 6: Drug testing as an option

• Considered at policy development phase• The accuracy of test results is contingent on a

range of factors, including the collection, handling, and analysis of samples

• Collection procedures may be intrusive• In an effort to determine the suitability of drug

testing such analysis must consider a number of issues, including: specific rates of use within the organisation or industry, the accuracy of tests and their inability to measure impairment as such; and the various direct and indirect costs of a testing program

More on testing

• Testing positive for marajuana can occur some time after marajuana has been consumed. Has led to unfair dismissal, ruled in favour of the employee.

• Out of hours conduct: Morality• Very few cost-benefit analyses done to evaluate

effectiveness. • Because it takes several hours for drug metabolites to

appear in urine, drug tests may miss drug users who are under the influence of drugs at the time the test is given. Drug impairment is the employers primary concern

• Privacy concerns – intrusive nature of the test, the creation of a record, use (and possible abuse) of that data.

Alternative Testing Methods

• Psychomotor testing

• Limited evidence

• Focus on impairment as opposed to substance present

• Looks at more than one form of impairment, not just AOD use

• Relatively inexpensive (over a long period of time)

Step 7: Change should be gradual and informed

• Effective policy delivery is dependent upon supportive rather than hostile environments

• Such environments are achieved by gradual and informed introduction of change

• Policy that is introduced too quick, or does not fit within the culture of the agency may prove to be an impediment to effective implementation

Step 8: Publicise the policy in an appropriate and equitable way

• Do not just distribute written policies, as they will not be read by all employees

• Ongoing regular communication with employees is essential for successful implementation

• Human resource literature supports the inclusion of this ingredient and contends that communication strategies are more effective if conducted through a variety of channels using strategies that are appropriate to the target audience

Step 9: Engender employee compliance through the definition of roles and responsibilities, and education and

training

• Define the roles and responsibilities of the employees in regards to drug or alcohol use

• Supervisors may need extra support to understand their roles and responsibilities as employers

• Roles and responsibilities must be disseminated to all staff, and especially during new employee inductions (written proof) and at regular staff meetings as a ‘standing item’

Step 9: Engender employee compliance through the definition of roles and responsibilities, and education and

training• Education and training is the second strategy

for ensuring compliance• Should include information about personal drug

use, as well as instruction for employees and safety committees on dealing with drug-impaired employees

• Provide staff training sessions regularly

Step 10: Evaluate the implementation process

• Evaluation serves 3 main purposes: it assesses how well a policy meets it objectives; it ensures accountability at the manager and organisational level; and it provides important information for predicting future policy success or failure

• Potential evaluation consideration are;• The extent to which the policy implementation applies to

all employees• The achievement of anticipated outcomes, such as the

identification of drug impaired employees, and the safe and responsible use of drugs

• Evaluate the treatment and intervention model set out in the policy

What happens when a fitness for work procedure is acted upon?

• A Procedure is followed that is clear and follows a step by step process

What happens when a fitness for work procedure is acted upon?

• Poor work performance identified• Employee deemed “not fit for work” will be sent home

and informally interviewed the following day• Informal interview about reasons for poor work

performance and support offered to overcome any fitness for work issues

• If work performance continues to be poor proceed to interview #2 (formal). If work performance has improved, no further action required

• Interview #3 and the Final interview follow this process in the same fashion (documented), with dismissal being a last resort for the employer.

The role of workplace

• Moral police?

• Provide Diagnosis?

• Detect impairment from drug use?

• Monitor performance?

• Act ethically?

• Look after staff?

Conclusion

• There is no “silver bullet’’• Drug and Alcohol testing has limits, and should

always be carried out as part of comprehensive alcohol and other drugs policy at a workplace.

• We need effective and comprehensive policies and procedures

• We need to understand the importance of Consultation

• We need to be led by the evidence

Thank You

• Questions?