NSC Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division news Worker health and wellness Drugs

Becoming a recovery-friendly workplace: New guide for small businesses

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Photo: dusanpetkovic/iStockphoto

Lexington, KY — A new toolkit from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center is intended to help small businesses hire, support and retain workers recovering from a substance use disorder.

“Implementing recovery-friendly hiring and workplace practices can have many benefits for small-business owners, including reducing turnover, improving safety and productivity, reducing health care costs, and promoting worker health and well-being,” the center says.

Steps include:

  • Creating a positive work environment that’s supportive of people in recovery.
  • Adopting new policies for hiring people in recovery.
  • Connecting workers to recovery resources in the community.
  • Promoting your business as a recovery-friendly employer and communicating what that means to workers and job applicants.

The toolkit has sample policies, a section on hiring and legal considerations, information about programs, and resources for both employers and workers.

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