The White House is pushing employers to create “recovery workplaces” to support those who suffer from substance use disorders or are in recovery.
The Biden administration published a guide to employers on how they can “respond more effectively to employee substance use disorders, strengthen their workforce by hiring people in recovery, and develop a recovery-friendly work culture” . The administration said recovery-ready workplaces aim to ensure a healthy work environment, remove barriers to employment, and promote substance abuse treatment and recovery resources.
“President Biden called on all Americans to come together and defeat the nation’s opioid epidemic,” Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement. communicated.
“The resources we are announcing today bring together businesses, state and community leaders, and the federal government to ensure that people with addiction and those in recovery can get – and keep – jobs. A job is about dignity and respect, and ensuring America’s workplaces are ready for recovery will support millions of recovery journeys while strengthening our economy,” added Gupta.
The White House also unveiled new model legislation for state lawmakers that would establish a program in which employers could be certified as recovery-ready workplaces and encourage employers to institute policies that create an environment healthy work.
The model legislation, if passed by state legislatures, would also create a tax credit and allowance for employers certified as recovery-ready workplaces and establish grant programs to advance these workplaces.
The administration also announced that Google and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) are committed to pushing to get workplaces ready for recovery. Sununu said he created the Recovery-Ready Workplace Initiative “to help support states and employers in developing recovery-ready workplace policies.”
“When I started the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative here in New Hampshire, our goal was to change the culture around addiction and inspire employers to take a proactive role in their employees’ recovery,” Sununu said in a press release.
“The program, which now has more than 350 participating companies in New Hampshire, representing more than 95,000 employees, has expanded across the country,” he continued. “Granite Staters can be proud that with today’s announcement, the model created here in New Hampshire will have an even greater impact on survival.” »
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