Drug Education and Intervention in the Workplace

Unless specifically stated otherwise, most employer-employee relationships in the U.S. are governed by the principle of at-will employment. Under this system a employer, or the employee, can terminate the relationship without any needed showing of cause. This at-will standard gives private corporations substantial authority in governing the behavior of employees. In this environment, corporations can Finding Wealth Through Wellness 10 creatively design Worksite Health Promotion Programs based upon their specifi c corporate culture. Worksite Health Promotion Programs generally take three main forms:

Voluntary Worksite Wellness Programs – The most popular form of employee Worksite Wellness Program, in most cases they are made available to employees but participation (or lack thereof) is not linked to any type of consequence. Due to ineffective communication, often employees are either unaware of these offerings or confuse them with insurance-based healthcare. Incentive-based – Worksite Wellness Programs based on incentives reward employees for participation in Worksite Wellness Program activities. Incentives usually include lower Health Care premiums, health club membership or personalized support offerings. In these programs, employees’ behavior can be linked to a particular reward.

Mandatory Workplace Wellness Programs – Some companies require, or ban, certain health-related behaviors. These can take the form of mandatory Health Risk Assessments for staff members and restrictions on smoking or alcohol use. While mandating behavior is an effective method to eliminate high-risk behavior, the cost savings must be gauged against the potential message sent to existing and prospective staff members. Given that staff members are already under various levels of scrutiny in the workplace, individuals may resist attempts by companies to regulate off-duty behaviors. In Addition, some staff members may fi nd it diffi cult to comply, forcing companies into the uncomfortable postion of punishing an otherwise advantageous employee.

In the short-term a mandate-based Company Health Promotion Program can guide to an increase in turnover, as employees either choose to leave or are fi red for noncompliance. In the long-term, the policy may prevent the company from hiring an otherwise qualifi ed applicant, or may serve as a deterrent for individuals considering the company. Limits in recruiting, for instance, led CNN to rescind a 13-year ban on hiring smokers.18

Businesses need to make sure that Worksite Wellness Programs are aligned with the values and culture that lead organization operations. If a organization emphasizes trust and individual responsibility, then a mandate-based program will likely cause more dissension than it would in a organization that already heavily regulates organization behaviors. Moreover, a work environment with a sizable disengaged population will likely have poor participation in a voluntarybased program. When calculating cost savings, corporations need to take a wider view and consider the effects on long-term employee engagement.

In 2005, Michigan-based insurance benefits provider Weyco instituted a smoking ban for all of its nearly 200 staff members. Employees are subject to random testing and if they fail a mandatory breathalyzer test, they will be fi red. It is believed that Weyco is the first employer to use testing to enforce a smoking ban – most employers ask staff members to self-report behavior. Four staff members (more than 2 percent of the total labor force) left Weyco as a result of the policy. A year prior to the ban the employer implemented a $50 smoking fee, which would be waived if a employee passed a nicotine test or agreed to take a smokingcessation class. Weyco’s president Howard Weyers announced that 20 staff members quit smoking through this program.20 Employees were told they had one year before the total ban would go into effect. Under the new Corporate Health Promotion Program, Weyco does offer $35 a month for staff members who want to use a fi tness center and another $65 a month for staff members who meet fitness goals and objectives.