Winning the war against substance abuse.

Substance abuse is sapping the productivity of U.S. corporations. A combination of drug testing, employee assistance programs, and education can help them to get back on track.

The lonely cry of a train whistle pierces the night's stillness--a sober reminder of railroaders' stressful journeys across vast spaces and dangerous crossings. As trains hurtle from one destination to the next, transporting tons of coal, grain, and chemicals, their crews must maintain hair-trigger reflexes. Even so, trains are hard to stop, so it's a rare crew that hasn't experienced a near-miss or crossing fatality.

Seeking to cope with such pressures, many railroad employees are tempted to use and abuse alcohol and drugs, a dangerous solution that can lead to tragedy. Burlington Northern Railroad has waged a continuous campaign against such abuse for the last 42 years. Through a combination of mandatory testing, training, employee empowerment, and support programs, we've gone a long way toward combating workplace substance abuse, which saps productivity and dulls competitiveness.

Although somewhat costly, these measures have saved us tens of millions of dollars in wages of rehabilitated employees, reduced health costs, and improved productivity. In addition, we offer pro bono consulting to smaller and medium-sized firms, strongly advocating the multifaceted approach that we've helped to pioneer.

The major cost items are drug testing ($2.5 million), peer-prevention programs ($1.14 million), and employee assistance programs ($950,000). We feel our investment is money well-spent. Even in industries where safety is not a critical factor, the stakes are high and the costs great.

COMPETITIVE IMPACT

In a 1989 survey of Fortune 1000 companies, governors and mayors indicated substance abuse costs industry $60 billion to $65 billion per year. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, substance-abusing employees:

* Are late three times more often than non-abusing employees.

* Request early dismissal or time off from work 2.2 times more often than others.

* Have 2.5 times as many absences of eight days or more.

* Are five times more likely to file for workmen's compensation.

* Are involved in accidents 3.6 times more often than their peers.

Drugs also imperil America's global competitiveness. Per capita, the U.S. consumes far more illicit drugs than any other country. Estimates put the number as high as 60 percent, which is staggering, since we have only 6 percent of the world's population.

LESSONS LEARNED

In Burlington Northern's battle against drugs, we've learned some important lessons and chalked up some impressive numbers. Over 93 percent of substance abusers who participate in our rehabilitation program stay on the job and remain drug-free. To date, only 0.4 percent of our work force (31,000) has tested positive in our random drug testing. This low percentage has been constant since 1990.

Burlington Northern's program often is studied and used as a benchmark. We have advised companies including a Missouri subsidiary of Procter & Gamble; Sheridan, WY-based Spring Green Coal Co.; Via Rail Canada; and VP Rail Australia. In our experience, all companies, including midsize and small firms, can mount effective campaigns. For example, a small Texas manufacturing firm increased the effectiveness of its drug-testing program by combining it with a training program for supervisors and union leaders. Then, it subjected everyone, including the CEO, to the same sampling procedures. This approach could be improved upon, but it's a good, cost-effective start. It enlists employee leadership in the effort and demonstrates the commitment and participation of top management.

WE DID IT OUR WAY

Our multifaceted approach--and others like it--are finding favor in corporate America. A recent American Management Association survey shows that in 1987, 21 percent of companies had combined education, training, and support programs with drug testing; in 1993, the number rose to 57 percent.

The reason for this growth is success. Companies that combine education and support with testing have far better results than companies that depend only on testing. The following table compares the incidence of positive tests in companies that combine educational programs and testing with those that don't.

The difference between 2.5 percent (testing plus) and 3.4 percent (testing alone) in 1992 is 40 percent. This proves that the combination of testing with other workplace initiatives deters drug use. Testing alone does not provide any direct statistical evidence of deterrence, according to the American Management Association.

TESTING POSITIVE

Percentage of employees using drugs despite corporate deterrents

                         1989      1990      1991      1992

Combination program      4.6%      4.0%      2.6%      2.5%
Testing alone           10.2%      5.7%      4.1%      3.4%

Source: American Management Association

Burlington Northern's approach has been effective. Our rate of 0.4 percent positives is six times better than the 2.5 percent for all similar company programs.

Here are our basic initiatives:

Drug testing: Our program, which is mandated by government regulation, is a costly, state-of-the-art, computer-driven operation, audited by the government. Samples are sealed when collected and are safeguarded through the chain-of-custody. A medical review officer consults with each employee who tests positive to determine the cause--which may be innocent. For example, poppy seeds can generate false positives.

The first time an individual tests positive, he or she is referred to a Burlington Northern employee assistance counselor. The second transgression can lead to dismissal.

Although testing only detects about 35 cases per year for us, the program does provide discipline. But it's also costly. Testing runs $166.66 per eligible employee per year. Over 20,000 employees, chiefly in safety-related positions, are subject to testing.

The company recently established a "universal" random drug-testing program. Now, everyone in upper management--from assistant vice presidents to the CEO--must participate in the program.

Employee assistance program: Burlington Northern's EAP grew out of a pioneering alcohol rehabilitation program founded in 1951. Since then, the program has expanded beyond drug abuse to include other personal situations that affect job performance. Today, about 32 percent of Burlington Northern's EAP population has drug or alcohol problems. However, alcohol and drugs also are connected to marital, legal, and other personal matters handled through the EAP. With Burlington Northern centers across its network, the EAP is the gatekeeper for therapeutic services. Our counselors guide people to practitioners or hospitals.

Companies that don't have an in-house EAP can use a third-party provider. According to Jesse Bernstein, president of Employee Assistance Associates in Ann Arbor, MI, programs are available for companies with as few as 10 employees. This is good news, because an EAP is a cost-effective investment. In a recent study, for example, St. Louis-based McDonnell Douglas projected a 3-to-1 return on every dollar it invested in its EAP.

The EAP uses a number of benchmarks to measure performance. Critical to its success is the number of Burlington Northern people who make a satisfactory recovery and present no further problems. Typically, only 7 percent of Burlington Northern people go through the program a second time. With this success rate, we've been able to reduce behavioral health expenditures--those related to psychological conditions and substance abuse--from 12 percent to 7.25 percent of all Burlington Northern insurance claims.

Supervisory training: The supervisor is the first line of defense in dealing with substance-abusing employees. Supervisors must be able to recognize problem employees as early as possible and, when appropriate, refer them to the EAP for confidential counseling and rehabilitation. If supervisors don't act, performance and discipline problems will worsen.

But studies show that supervisors typically won't act early or effectively unless they are trained to do so. Thus, we developed a four-hour training program to teach supervisors about drugs, drug use, and intervention strategies. Our goal is to enable every management employee to recognize problems, constructively confront troubled employees, and monitor and document behavior. Operation Stop: This peer prevention program is based on a partnership among employees, labor, and management. It empowers non-using employees whose productivity, safety, and jobs are threatened by drug use to take action against it. Sometimes intervention is direct. If, for example, an employee is coming to work drunk, members of Operation Stop will confront the problem worker and pressure him to stop or help him get assistance. They also offer support during and after treatment. This initiative breaks the "conspiracy of silence," under which the majority of Burlington Northern employees were held hostage to the small minority of drug users. In effect, the no-nonsense message sent to an impaired employee is: "Your right to use drugs ends when my shift begins." Operation Stop promotes drug- and alcohol-free values and lifestyles. Local groups sponsor workplace promotions, safety meetings, health fairs, 10-kilometer runs, chili feeds, and golf tournaments. They distribute promotional items. Operation Stop T-shirts, caps, and buttons are everywhere.

A grass-roots network of 800 employee-volunteers was created and organized into committees in 67 cities to administer the program. The network is supported, but not run, by the company.

Operation Stop is successful. Since implementing the program in 1985, Burlington Northern has had no fatal accidents involving alcohol or drugs. Volunteers refer workers in trouble to the EAP and play a critical role in helping employees return to work smoothly after treatment.

Parent To Parent Program: This eight-session, videotape-based training program is designed to help employees raise alcohol- and drug-free children. It teaches parenting skills as well as an understanding of both chemical use and the drug-using adolescent subculture. It extends the war on drugs into the homes and communities of our employees, because problems in the home are problems in the workplace.

Adopted and implemented in 1992, Parent To Parent was built on the framework of Operation Stop. In the first phase of the program, 80 volunteers participated in a two-day program in which they were trained as facilitators. The overwhelming majority was hard-hatted working men. During 1992, over 1,000 Burlington Northern employees completed the training,

MOBILIZE AND EDUCATE

The broad objective of any successful drug-free workplace strategy must be to create an overall anti-drug environment that promotes behavioral change. Companies may use many tactics, but the success of any strategy depends on the ability to get inside the minds of users or potential users and change what they believe.

America has made remarkable progress in curbing smoking tobacco for health and safety-related reasons, both on the job and at home, Burlington Northern and many other forward-looking companies, which are moving toward a smoke-free environment, seek to accomplish the same thing for drug and alcohol abuse.

We've gained some valuable insights in the wake of our long-standing battle against drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace.

* A punitive approach doesn't work. This was one of the first lessons we learned. Until the early 1950s, railroad managers typically took a hard line, firing employees who used or possessed alcohol or other mood-altering drugs when on duty or subject to duty. The net result was that most employees and many supervisors concealed the substance abuse of co-workers and subordinates. Thus, substance abuse remained an ingrained part of railroad culture. By 1978, an industrywide study found 19 percent of employees had problems with drug and alcohol abuse.

* Drug testing alone doesn't work. Drug testing has become not only increasingly popular, but mandatory in our industry. An annual American Management Association survey shows a dramatic rise in companies testing for drugs. In 1987, 21.5 percent of respondents had drug-testing programs; in 1993 the number had risen to nearly 85 percent.

While this development seems positive, the danger is that too many executives see testing as a silver bullet. Once they have a program in place, they feel the job is done. Not so. Burlington Northern's drug-testing program identifies about 35 employees per year. That's a small number in view of the fact that we pick up 140 people by observing their behavior or smelling their breath.

* Your work is never done. In 1984, Burlington Northern and the unions representing its employees joined forces to create one of the best drug-prevention programs in the country. We broke new ground and might have become complacent except that summer the railroad had two fatal derailments within two weeks of each other resulting from drugs and alcohol use.

Because of these incidents, Burlington Northern created Operation Stop, and later Parent To Parent, to mobilize employees and educate families about drugs and alcohol.

ASSESSING THE OPTIONS

Combined, our initiatives comprise a powerful deterrent to substance abuse in the workplace. What's more, everyone's a winner under our program: employees and their families, customers, communities, and shareholders.

Companies have three options: (1) Do nothing. Many companies put their heads in the sand and hope the problem will go away. It won't. It will get worse as drug users flock to join your payroll.

(2) Go through the motions. Many companies do what they need to do to comply with rules and regulations. They may put up a few posters.

(3) See controlling substance abuse as an opportunity, not a threat. Companies embracing this option--as we do--view the war on drugs as a chance to forge bonds with their workers and supervisors and end up with better employees, better managers, and substantial cost savings.

The third option is the only long-term solution. By pulling together to control substance abuse, everyone profits. The fact is, you can do well by doing good. EAPs: COST-EFFECTIVE

Gatekeepers

There are 10,000 employee assistance programs in the U.S., and no two of them are necessarily alike. But their objective almost always is to ensure that employees and their families get treatment for substance abuse and other personal problems that can range from mental illness to marital difficulties. EAPs typically are gatekeepers--meditators--that match individuals with the right professional providers. In effect, the EAP counselor is a partner or team member who supports and monitors the treatment process.

How well do EAPs work? Burlington Northern Railroad's has been very effective. This is indicated by a 10-year study the company conducted in 1990.

The study looked at the personnel records of 171 employees who had had disciplinary problems. It compared their records on four key indicators--attendance-rule violations, other company-rule violations, medical leave, and personnel injuries--with those of a control group. Unsurprisingly, the records of the problem employees on these indicators were terrible.

After the same employees completed a program prescribed by the EAP, their records were analyzed again. The results were astonishing. The performance of problem employees on the key indicators not only improved, it surpassed that of the control group.

When the people in risk management at Burlington Northern Railroad learned of these results, they wanted to send everyone in the company to the EAP. It was an impractical idea, but one that reflected the respect achieved by the EAP.

Other studies also have shown the effectiveness of EAPs. For example, in the late 1980s, a study at McDonnell Douglas showed that its EAP increased the quality of care for employees, while lowering costs. The company compared EAP-treated problem employees with employees treated for the same problems outside the program. Even though initial costs were higher for the EAP-treated employees, the ultimate return on the investment was much higher. McDonnell Douglas concluded that it received a 3-to-1 return on its EAP investment.

Here's why. EAPs reduce costs by:

* Negotiating reduced fees with preferred providers.

* Providing cost-effective preventive services to forestall crises and minimize hospitalization.

* Allowing routine problems to be handled by EAP counselors without involving additional providers.

* Intervening in the workplace to halt the declining productivity of a troubled employee, while also significantly reducing costs of property damage, spoilage, and injury.

* Reducing the costs of replacing fired employees and retraining new ones.

Burlington Northern Railroad has developed its EAP over 42 years. But an EAP is within the reach of any company. Although an internal EAP is not practical for companies with less than 2,000 employees, such companies can reach out to an external provider. Indeed, third-party EAPs may suit the needs of companies of all sizes. According to Jesse Bernstein, president of Employee Assistance Associates, an Ann Arbor, MI-based EAP consulting firm, programs are available for companies with as few as 10 employees.

Often the Chamber of Commerce or a business association proposes to create an EAP for its membership. Generally, in such a consortium-style EAP, annual costs may run from $25 to $60 per employee. Bernstein cautions companies to be wary of lowball bidders, which may offer prices of less than $20 per employee per year. Typically, such EAPs, which feature both EAP and treatment services, are able to offer a lower price, because they make referrals to themselves. Moreover, while initial costs may be low, a corporation actually may pay more in EAP and health insurance costs. "Always find a neutral vendor," Bernstein emphasizes. Gerald Grinstein is chairman and chief executive of Fort Worth, TX-based Burlington Northern Railroad, a $4.6 billion railroad and transportation services company. It operates the largest rail system in North America.

William D. Oliver is executive director of PRIDE Parent Training, a Marietta, GA, consulting firm for establishing and maintaining a drug-free workplace.