alcohol and other drug problems among addiction professionals

nInterviewing and Hiring PracticesOrganizations take a variety of approaches toward identifying (or not identifying)people in recovery (remission from SUDs) during the interviewing process.Most employers (one participant estimated 90%) use unstructured interview processes,the least reliable way to identify potential issues and document these issuesfor any future disputes. Employers are not allowed to ask about alcohol use or to askif a prospective employee is in recovery.However, there are many subtle and not-so-subtle ways for a candidate tocommunicate (or an employer to infer) recovery status. If the organization has establishedstandards of wellness and behavioral health as BFOQs, interviewers areallowed to ask questions relevant to those standards, and to obtain written commitmentto those standards from prospective employees. In addition, an employeewho is taking any prescription medication that impairs thought or judgment is requiredto inform prospective employers of this fact.The group discussed the existence of unwritten policies and procedures withinthe field, understandings that aim more toward the spirit than the letter of the law, andthe difficulties that can arise in their interpretation and application. Unwritten rules areeffective only to the extent that people perceive them equally and apply them fairly,and their unwritten nature makes this impossible to ensure and monitor.Random drug testing of staff is an area in which the groundwork must be laidin the interviewing and hiring processes. Prospective employees must be told directlythat they will be subject to random tests and sign an agreement stating thatthey understand and agree to submit to these tests. However, testing must be trulyrandom, and it is suggested that the agency have an outside source both selectemployees for testing and perform the tests.n 36 n