Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative Resource Guide

Help Save Lives! Over 96,700 people die from drug overdoses in a year. Opioids are a factor in 7 out of every 10 overdose deaths. Drug overdoses have killed almost a million people since 1999, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

Employers and business owners play a vital role in a person’s recovery from Substance Use Disorder (SUD). When people are gainfully employed, they are given a sense of structure, community, and purpose – all things that are necessary to a person’s recovery. A job also provides a person with a stable income and access to health benefits, which are necessary for a person to sustain their recovery. We have employers looking for employees locally every day to fill their open positions. Wellness and recovery are holistic, and through a Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, employers and business owners have an opportunity to innovatively address substance misuse and recovery in the workplace and make a measurable impact in the lives of workers here locally in the communities our Chamber serves.

Download the full Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative Resource Guide 2024.

The Benefits of being a Recovery-Friendly Workplace include the following:

IT’S COST-EFFECTIVE

The economic impact of untreated substance use is enormous. Becoming a Recovery-Friendly Workplace (RFW) benefits businesses with outcomes like reduced employee absenteeism, a healthier work environment, increased productivity, improved workplace safety, and lower healthcare costs.

SHOW CUSTOMERS YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES

You can be a leader in the workforce by addressing this public health crisis. As an employer, you can commit to reducing the stigma often associated with substance use and recovery.

SUBSTANCE USE, ADDICTION, AND RECOVERY ARE VERY COMMON IN THE WORKPLACE

Most people with an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) – nearly 75% of American adults – are in the workforce. Many times, people develop SUD after a workplace injury. And most people use substances in some way whether it be nicotine, prescriptions, or poisoned illicit drugs.

YOU CAN CREATE A MORE POSITIVE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACE

Employees prefer workplace well-being to material benefits. Also, a supportive workplace culture is very important to folks. Perks like wellness incentives, telehealth, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), flexible work schedules, and ‘working from anywhere’ are much more important today than in generations past.

SIMPLY PUT – RECOVERY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

A recovery-informed culture will increase employee morale, decrease employee turnover, and decrease healthcare and human resources costs, among SO many other benefits. A third of American households have been touched by addiction, which in turn affects the workplace.