Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 | 8:30–9:30am MT

To continue the work of our successful peer learning series, in partnership with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, we are launching the Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Employer Group.

This group will represent Colorado employers who are champions for RFW policies and practices. Join us at the upcoming Stakeholder meeting to set clear goals for Colorado’s RFW Initiative and identify members for future growth. This workgroup will be the voice of local employers on statewide RFW issues.

Join via Zoom

Thursday, September 8, 2022 | 11:00am–12:30pm MT

Substance use disorders (SUDs) affect one in seven people. Approximately 75% of adults ages 18 to 64 with SUDs are in the workforce. Problematic substance use is expensive, and in 2020, cost organizations approximately $696 billion annually in absenteeism, low productivity, and healthcare. Recovery is possible. Nationally, there are an estimated 22+ million people in recovery, slowly succeeding in establishing healthier homes, lives, and workplaces.

The workplace plays a significant role in supporting employees in recovery by creating environments that raise awareness, prevent problematic substance use, reduce stigma, and encourage treatment and sustained recovery.

This session will cover:

• The fundamentals of behavioral health including the continuum of mental health conditions, substance use, and suicide prevention
• The influence and relationship between work and behavioral health The impact of impairment on individuals, workplaces, and families
• The business case for recovery friendly workplaces
• The roles of employers and employees in addressing substance use and building a recovery friendly workplace

Thursday, October 6, 2022 | 11:00am–12:30pm MT

Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFW) are based on two fundamental objectives: 1) establishing a culture that values a healthy work environment and offers the opportunity for employee recovery, wellness, and retention, and 2) implementing core practices that address problematic substance use and offer the opportunity for employees to maintain recovery and wellness.

With a solid foundation in place, developing and implementing practices and policies becomes more successful. Each workplace has its own challenges related to health and well-being. Cooperation, collaboration, and shared responsibility between management and employees are critical to helping reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of problematic substance use as well as any barriers to achieving and maintaining recovery.

This session will cover:

• The different roles and responsibilities of leadership, human resources, and legal professionals in addressing behavioral health
• How to create an inclusive and stigma-free workplace
• How to implement policies and practices that align with RFW values
• How to effectively communicate about RFW policies and practices and identify evidence-based resources

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 11:00am–12:30pm MT

Successful Recovery Friendly Workplaces have an organizational policy, employee education, leadership training, and evidence-based services. Time to put goals and actions in place. Identify the best practices that meet the unique needs of your organization and your team to focus on prevention strategies and services that enhance and support employee productivity, healthy workplace culture, employee well-being, and overall employee morale.

This session will cover:

• The most common workplace stressors and their impact on employees
• Prevention strategies including benefits, boundaries, and expectations
• Coping techniques including stress management and self-care for team members
• Evidence-based behavioral health services including employee assistance programs (EAP), member assistance programs (MAP), peer support programs, employee resource groups (ERG), and more
• The perspective of workers in recovery

Thursday, January 12, 2023 | 11:00am–12:30pm

To wrap up this series, we will discuss RFW next steps for you and your organization. This final session is meant to be an interactive, working session where we will hear from a legal expert to understand the legal implications of a Recovery Friendly Workplace. We will also hear from an individual about the lived experience of recovery in the workplace from the employee perspective.

This session will cover:

• Understanding legal implications- learn from a renowned employment lawyer.
• Considering the lived experience - hear from a member of the recovery workgroup about their journey and the role work played.
• Next steps for RFW – what is your role in Colorado’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Collaborative?