HOW WE DO IT: American Landscape Institutes a Drug-Free Workplace

American Landscape started toward a drug-free workplace three years ago because we believed this was an important step to increase the quality of our work force. Also, since many other area landscape companies were drug-free as well, I feared we’d attract the employees who failed those drug screens, and becoming drug-free eliminated this concern.
 
The first step involved a consultant who helped us establish an employee assistance program (EAP). This confidential program provides professional assessment for all employees and family members. The EAP counsellor discusses solutions and refers the employee to the proper resource for help. This program provides drug and alcohol help, as well as marital, family, emotional and legal problems.
 
We then placed a policy in our employee handbook that describes our drug-free workplace program. Included in this program are pre-employment, post-accident, random and reason-to-believe drug and alcohol testing. We informed all employees we were doing this as of a certain date with about three months lead time. Next we developed consent paperwork for employees to sign. It was important to be specific and detail each reason we might test an employee. The forms where then reviewed by the EAP consultant.
 
Initially supervisors expressed some opposition believing we may lose some long-term, high-value employees. Many were skeptical of the program. A few felt they could just refuse to be tested. But our program explains refusal is treated as a positive test. Nearly all of these concerns were alleviated by the fact we are trying to help people rather than trying to get rid of employees.
 
The program costs about $75 per person per year. There are also some indirect costs to run the program, such as taking people who need to be tested to the clinic. We use a rapid testing method and get results in about 15 minutes. These results are only sent to either the operations manager or the office manager who then calls the supervisor and clears the employee to return to work if he tests negative. If an employee tests positive he is brought back to the office and explained his options. We than have someone drive the individual home because you do not want him to drive while impaired.
 
The company is much better off since we started testing. As a result, our work force is better and we have helped some employees get the help they need without losing their jobs. And since we’ve been testing for a few years, it is a rare occurrence now that someone tests positive for substance abuse.

Ken Wentland is the operations manager at American Landscape in Menomonee Falls, Wisc. He can be reached at 262/252-4260 x105 or kwentland@amerlandscape.com.