Evaluating Your Drug Free Workplace Program:

Metrics & Benchmarks

Program evaluation is an important part of any drug-free workplace program. An ongoing monitoring program lets you know if you are saving money,  improving your bottom line, and consistently in compliance across all work locations.

There are several ways to evaluate your program. Having an outside firm audit your program can also provide very useful information

Establish a baseline

Assess your organization as it is today. Specifically, check your company records for the past 2 years and figure out the incidence and prevalence of some or all of the following factors, which can be indicators of problems with alcohol or other drug abuse:

• Absenteeism
• Tardiness
• Health care benefit utilization
• Workers’ Compensation claims & Premiums
• Theft / Inventory Shrinkage
• Accidents
• Turnover
• Workplace Violence Incidents
• Positivity Rate - Conduct a company wide drug test if unknown

Estimate the costs of these factors in dollars, if possible. If records are not available for years past, start tracking the trends now.

Also talk to employees at all levels of the organization to assess the current overall morale of the staff.

This will give you baseline data for determining the impact of your program during the coming years.

Analyze

Review the records at the end of the first year (and in subsequent years) for the factors listed above. Also reassess employee morale. Compare the results to your baseline data. Have there been any changes?  Most drug free workplace programs will deliver maximum benefits within a 3-4 year timeframe.

Determining the success of your program will depend on your original goals. Revisit your original goals. Ask employees and supervisors to offer feedback. Talk to employees and supervisors about their perceptions of the impact of the policy and/or program. Cost savings may take some time to accumulate, but improved employee morale may be evident right away.

Audit

Establish an ongoing plan for evaluating your program to assess the cost/benefits of continuing your drug-free workplace program.  Quarterly reporting and annual review is a common practice.

Plan

Determine the steps needed in the next year to reach your program goals. Consider developing a committee of employees from all levels of the workforce to assist in both the ongoing evaluation and the implementation of program changes.