If You Think Drug Addiction Isn't a Problem in Your Workplace, You're Wrong

For the one in six americans with substance-abuse disorder, "Recovery-friendly" policies at work can make all the difference.

- By Erika Fry

WHEN A COLLEAGUE on the warehouse floor of Hypertherm Associates, a New Hampshire based manufacturer of industrial cutting tools and software, made a comment about "junkies" and complained about the public expense involved in saving them, Jamie Green knew it was her moment to speak up.

"I'm in recovery," she told him, then asked a pointed question: "Do you think my life is worth saving?"

It was an awkward moment, to be sure. But after 19 years of moving to new locations and new jobs in hopes of leaving her addiction to alcohol, heroin, opiates, and cocaine behind, Green was finally thriving. She was ready to live her recovery "out loud," she told Fortune. Her colleague, to his credit, heard her clearly. "That really changed his perspective," she recalls. The two became close friends.

Crucially, Green had no reason to worry about disclosing that history at work; Hypertherm is a global company with 2,000 employees and a pioneer in the "recoveryfriendly workplace" movement-a nascent nationwide effort to revolutionize the way American businesses approach issues of substance-use disorder in the workforce.

When Green interviewed for the job, there was a "Recovery-Friendly Workplace" sticker on the front door and cards with a list of resources in the company's restrooms. When she acknowledged that she was in recovery herself, and that she might need certain accommodations, "they didn't bat an eye."