States have initiated recovery-friendly workplace (RFW) efforts to support people in recovery from, or otherwise affected by, a substance use disorders (SUD). An RFW program offers a healthy and safe workplace and prioritizes understanding, support, and accommodations for employees who are recovering. This creates an environment for workers to thrive while managing their recovery process.
RFWs can not only expand opportunities for employees but also for businesses through workforce recruitment and retention efforts. RFWs build connections between recovery supports and employment, which can reduce absenteeism, workplace injuries and workers compensation expenses, and improve workforce retention. A national certification exists for large employers that span multiple states, and companies such as Oracle and Gorilla Glue have completed the certification process.
The RFW concept is growing. Over 30 states have some level of RFW engagement, which builds on existing partnerships with business interests, universities, recovery communities, and nonprofits.
Key Features of Recovery-Friendly Workplaces
According to the Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute, an RFW:
- Is equipped with knowledge, information, tools, and resources about SUD and recovery to help employers effectively prevent and respond to substance use in the workforce
- Recognizes stigma associated with SUD and recovery and uses education, discussion, and training to address and challenge that stigma
- Has equitable acknowledgment and accompanying procedures and policies, which treats SUD and recovery as other chronic health conditions are treated
- Provides support for employees seeking to find, or maintain, recovery, or seeking resources for their loved ones
- Establishes a culture of comfortability when there is a need for support services, whether for themselves or their loved ones, which eliminates some of the fear with coming forward, and
- Is certified by state or national recovery friendly workplace organization
State Roles in Supporting Recovery-Friendly Workplaces
Unlike many other SUD-focused initiatives, RFW initiatives have often originated and developed in partnership with business and community leaders who are responding to employment recruitment and retention challenges. As a result, a number of state-level RFW programs are administered by departments of labor/workforce or chambers of commerce, such as the Maryland RFW and Kentucky Workforce Recovery Program. States have used private-public partnerships and braided funding mechanisms, making this a cross-government approach that improves both business interests and individual workers’ lives. Several states use funding mechanisms through the U.S. Department of Labor, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response (SOR) grants to support this work.
States take several different roles in administering RFW initiatives, including serving as connectors between businesses and recovery community organizations, providing training to human resources and managers on stigma reduction, and offering technical assistance to businesses that are interested in modifying workplace policies that might inhibit workers’ paths toward recovery. Many state-level RFW administrations designate interested and qualified businesses as RFWs.
States’ Adoption of Recovery-Friendly Workplaces
In New Hampshire, development of the RFW concept grew with support from Gov. Chris Sununu, as supporting employees with SUD in the workplace — rather than penalizing them and ending their employment — resulted in an interrelated, positive outcome of workforce retention. New Hampshire collaborates with Granite United Way to administer the program, which provides employers with information, education, training, and connections to resources to support their employees. New Hampshire’s RFW also builds on the existing system of care, connecting employers with New Hampshire’s 211 number and helping people access treatment and recovery options. The state RFW includes recovery community organizations (RCOs) and public health networks in increasing employer awareness and access to recovery supports.
In Colorado, multiple efforts contributed to the state’s RFW program. Initially, state officials, in partnership with Mental Health America, developed a survey of business leaders, which uncovered growing concerns about worker isolation and mental health needs. As a result, the state offered a virtual learning collaborative of 50 business leaders to increase knowledge about substance use issues, which resulted in the development of a state-specific RFW certification program. Additionally, the Colorado legislature passed SB 24-048, which created the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative® administered by the Center for Health, Work, and Environment at the Colorado School for Public Health.
In Michigan, a comprehensive approach was deemed necessary by a coalition of state officials, nonprofits, and employers that recognized the growing challenges posed by SUD and the crucial role employers can play in fostering supportive environments for recovery. With support of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA SOR grant funds, the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) and coalition members were able to officially develop the Recovery-Friendly Workplace Initiative for the state. The Michigan RFW initiative provides employers with access to three trainings: an introduction to the concepts of SUD and recovery; an overview of RFW policies that can be adopted and laws that employers work within regarding SUD, such as the impacts of choosing a drug-free workplace policy; and connections to resources such as recovery community organizations, mental health supports, and naloxone training. MPHI partners with recovery community organizations and other nonprofits around the state to engage employers and provide access to training and resources.
The Growth of RFWs
Recovery-friendly workplace initiatives are growing across the country, with many cities, counties, and states fostering RFWs. As funding landscapes shift, RFWs can maximize public-private partnerships, offer unique recovery supports, and connect business and public health interests. States can further support these efforts by developing state-level resources, certification processes, and metrics that show outcomes beneficial both to workers and employers.
Further Resources
Acknowledgments
NASHP would like to thank Nicki Gabel, Peter Gaumond, David Shapiro, and Eliza Zarka for their contributions to this piece. NASHP would also like to thank the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts for its continued support in NASHP’s ongoing work.
