Substance use disorders (SUDs) impact Kentucky small businesses in many ways. SUDs are common in the workplace and lead to more absences, injuries, and increased costs for businesses. Workers in recovery from SUDs, however, take 10% fewer unplanned days off per year than the average number worker, and the turnover rate for employees in recovery is 12% lower. Implementing recovery-friendly hiring and workplace practices can have many benefits for small business owners, including reducing turnover, improving safety and productivity, reducing healthcare costs, and promoting worker health and wellbeing.
The Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance program has developed a toolkit to assist small business owners with successfully hiring people who are in recovery from SUDs. The toolkit contains information about hiring and legal considerations, sample workplace policies, and information about programs and resources for both employers and employees.