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In our effort to
present the issue of substance abuse in the workplace from every
angle, Cathy Swing, writer for The Next Step Newsletter,
spoke with Debbie Bradley, IPMA-HR CP, the Personnel Director
for Catawba County. We appreciate Debbie’s insight and
generosity in sharing information about her experiences.
CS: Does Catawba County provide a
drug-free workplace?
DB: Yes. On our bulletin boards and our employment
application we post that we strive for a drug-free workplace.
CS: Do you
screen applicants &/or employees?
DB: Yes. As a part of
the application process, finalists for positions must complete a
drug screening. This applies to current employees who apply for
another position as well. We will not hire anyone with a
positive test result, and we terminate any employee who tests
positive.
We screen finalists for positions,
including any current employee who is a finalist for another
position. We also have employees assigned to our Landfill and
Garage who fall under Federal Dept. of Transportation rules for
random testing. Fortunately, over the years we've seen
a significant drop in positive test results.
CS: Is that
mandated by the national Drug-Free Workplace Act?
DB: Because we receive funding
from the federal government, we do comply with this Act, and we
have adopted the principles into the culture of our workplace.
CS: If an
employee tests positive, what are the consequences?
Do you offer help?
DB: When an employee
tests positive as an applicant we terminate the employee. If we
have a "just cause" test we offer Employee Assistance Program,
and place some conditions on continuing employment.
CS: Do you
offer EAP?
DB: We do; we provide 6 visits
with the first one being an evaluation/assessment.
CS: Do you
have any experience with employees using the FMLA for treatment?
DB: Yes, we've had a few.
Generally, these have been employees with several years with the
County. Each of them approached their supervisor, department
head or our onsite health clinic and admitted they had a problem
and wanted to seek treatment.
CS: Have you
observed any correlations with accidents or violence and
substance abuse?
DB: Not in my experience with
the County. We've had a few situations where we suspected a
problem, but the employees had other performance or conduct
problems, and we dealt with them through our discipline policy.
There were liability issues with each person.
With my previous employer we had an
employee who was involved in an accident each of three months in
a row, and we suspected he had a problem. In investigating
what happened, another employee advised the employee was using
marijuana. We drug tested him. Because he was in a position
where he went into private homes and had access to funds, etc.
We terminated him.
CS: If an
employee is in an accident in a county vehicle, do you test for
drug use?
DB: Our policy allows us to
drug test. Generally we will when our employee is at fault.
CS: How do
you protect confidentiality if someone is using substances?
DB: We follow HIPAA rules, unless
there is a conduct issue. Then we treat it as an employee
issue, and only those on a need to know basis are given any
information.
CS: Do you
provide any training for supervisors/managers to recognize signs
of substance abuse?
DB: Yes, through our
supervisor training program.
The Next
Step
Editor: Leanne
Murray
Writer: Cathy Swing
Designer: Virginia Hart
Partnership for a Drug-Free
NC
665 W. Fourth Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Subscribe to The Next Step
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