Wellness and Recovery-Friendly Workplaces

Wellness and recovery-friendly workplaces programs complement the drug free workplace by maintaining the focus on healthy lifestyles with the goal of preventing disease, unhealthy behaviors, and substance misuse.  They can be put in place separately or together to support and balance a drug free workplace program.

 

Wellness workplaces

Best practices that organizations can adopt to promote worksite wellness can include:

•             Forming a worksite wellness committee

•             Healthy eating (groups form with meetings at lunch, or after work, e.g. Weight Watchers, nutritionist, etc.

•             Physical activity (lunch or post-work exercise group)

•             Tobacco cessation (possibly through your doctor, insurance company, health department)

•             Cancer screening (possibly through your doctor, insurance company, health department, community health fair)

 

Recovery-friendly workplaces

The following policies can support rehabilitation and recovery:

•             Health insurance covering substance abuse & mental health

•             A strong Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing confidential services

•             Disability insurance providing resources for those in treatment

•             Sick time policies that allow for time off to receive necessary services

•             Leave policies that allow eligible employees to take time off from work to pursue treatment or other recovery support services including attending Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other meetings.

•             Return-to-work policies to help employees return to their jobs when they are ready

•             Access to peer assistance programs in our area (e.g., AA, NA)

 

Family-Friendly Workplaces

Return-to-work policies typically include specific and individualized random drug testing to ensure the employee is staying clean. Recovering employees often say this supports their recovery and is a strong incentive.

The following family-friendly workplace policies can be implemented in a workplace.

•             Flexible work schedule

•             Paid and unpaid leaves

•             Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

•             Paid sick days

•             Family-friendly health care benefits

•             Child-care benefits

•             Access to resources

 

Think about it.....

Is your place of employment a “wellness workplace?”

What does “recovery-friendly workplace” mean to you?

How is your workplace recovery friendly?

 

Resources:

University of Washington, Health Promotion Research Center, Best Practices for Worksite Wellness
https://depts.washington.edu/hprc/wp-content/uploads/Sample-Completed-Rec-Report.pdf

 

Kansas University, Community Toolbox, Family Friendly Workplace Policies
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/changing-policies/business-government-family-friendly/main