Fitness For Work
Leigh 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 alcoholrelated 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 alcohol
costs $3.5 billion annually
• Alcohol-related absenteeism costs between $437 million
and $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?)
Predisposing:
Why is this workplace
Susceptible?
Location? Work Type?
Gender? Age?
Regular issues? Reporting?
Absenteeism? Cost?
Injuries?
Precipitating:
What has prompted your
agency to respond
Presenting:
AOD Workforce
Issues
Protective Factors:
Positive factors to
consider
Policies and Procedures?
EAP’s? Health Promotion?
Education? Role Modelling?
Income? Availability?
Low Supervision? Boredom? Perpetuating Factors
What fuels the
Workplace culture?
AOD issue
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?