Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The third in a series of workshops aimed at identifying and dealing with drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace has been scheduled for next month.
The program was the result of conversations with local business leaders about some of the challenges they are facing, local officials said.
Dennis Heling, chief economic development officer for Shawano County Economic Progress Inc., said local employers invariably raise drug and alcohol abuse as a problem.
“Without exception, they listed that as the number one or two challenge,” he said. “It was always in the conversation.”
Heling said businesses of all sizes named it a problem.
“We have a culture of alcohol use, and maybe abuse, and we see drug use,” Heling said employers told him.
Heling said employees who don’t abuse alcohol or drugs also are being affected by family members who do, and the impact is showing up in the workplace.
Those conversations led to the series of workshops.
“We put together a work group which helped us understand what (human resources) managers were facing, and look at how do we identify (drug and alcohol abuse), what steps do we take and how do we change that activity in our workplaces,” Heling said.
The next workshop, from 8-10 a.m. Oct. 8 at Boarders Inn and Suites, will look at policies and best practices for dealing with suspected alcohol or drug use, and the resources available to employers in Shawano and Menominee counties.
Shawano Police Chief Mark Kohl will also discuss when it is appropriate to call in law enforcement, and give a picture of the extent of drug and alcohol abuse in the city.
Also presenting will be Stephanie Bellin and Polly Elrod, of ThedaCare, who will review the key elements of a good alcohol and drug policy and how companies can make them work within their own environment. There will be an opportunity to learn how area businesses are addressing the issues.
The workshops are funded by grants from ThedaCare and Shawano Country Vision 2017.
This program is free of charge. Funding is provided by Shawano Country Vision 2017 and the ThedaCare Shawano-Menominee Community Health Action Team.
For information, contact Dennis Heling at scepi@frontiernet.net.
To register, go to www.thedacare.org/employerworkhops or call 715-526-5839.