Drug-Free Workplace Kit: Preparing the workplace

Having a drug-free workplace policy and program does not, by itself, guarantee that the workplace will be drug-free. Employees may not know about the policy; they may not fully understand it; they may not believe that it makes sense; they may find it difficult to comply with; they may be addicted to alcohol or other drugs; they may not believe that you will enforce the policy; they may believe that they can get around it; they may believe that a drug-free workplace policy is an unreasonable invasion of their private lives.

It is therefore important to inform, educate, train, and motivate everyone in the workplace, including the employer, the human resource director, other supervisors, and other employees; help everyone in the workplace understand that a drug-free workplace is more likely to be a safe, healthy, and productive workplace; inform everyone in the workplace about the specifics of the policy and the program; motivate the workplace as a whole to support the policy and program; and create a shared sense of responsibility for the success of a drug-free workplace policy and program.

This section of the Drug Free Workplace Kit addresses what employers can do to set the right tone and take the right approach; what human resource managers can do to get the word out; what supervisors can do to carry out the policy fairly and firmly; and what other employees can do to support a healthy, safe, and productive drug-free workplace.