Maryland’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Program

A Guide for Employers

What is a Recovery Friendly Workplace?

A Recovery Friendly Workplace strives to create a healthy and safe workplace by providing education and support for employees, at all levels, who are directly or indirectly impacted by substance use and/or mental health challenges.

Welcome

Your interest in becoming designated as a Recovery Friendly Workplace means that you:

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• want to serve as a model for corporate citizenship.

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• appreciate the strength of employees who have a history with substance use and/or mental health challenges.

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• understand that engaging in recovery friendly practices improves employee well-being.

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• recognize that recovery friendly practices positively impact your bottom line.

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Maryland’s Model

Maryland’s Recovery Friendly Workplace program uses a tiered approach for employers to engage at a pace that fits within their current capacity. To participate, you must at minimum complete the Recovery Friendly Workplace Readiness Questionnaire. From there, you may participate in activities in one of four defined tiers based upon your need.

Four Key Activity Areas

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• Stigma-reducing education programming for the workplace;

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• Participation in research/data collection efforts related to Recovery Friendly Workplaces, such as completion of a more extensive survey evaluation, and;

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• Providing naloxone training for employees and having naloxone present in the workplace;

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• Updating/creating policies and/or practices addressing hiring, retention, and support of employees with an opioid or other substance use disorder.

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Getting Started: Bronze Designation

1. Review the results of your Substance Use and Mental Health Cost Calculators.
2. Complete the Recovery Friendly Workplace Readiness Questionnaire.
3. Complete an orientation with your Recovery Friendly Advisor.

Contribute to ongoing data collection

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To recertify annually:

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• Complete the Recovery Friendly Workplace Readiness Questionnaire and meet with your Recovery Friendly Advisor.

Your Recovery Friendly Advisor

At no point will you be alone in determining which steps to undertake and resources to offer. Your Recovery Friendly Advisor is:

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• A guide to help you through the designation process.

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• A resource broker for employees who may want additional support.

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• An expert in your region’s local recovery community.

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• An accountability partner to help you keep track of where you are in the designation process.

MOED Program Overview

Support Services

• Transportation
• Training Stipends
• Case management
• Obtaining I9 Documents
• Financial Empowerment Center 
• GED

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Programs Provided

• Career Navigation
• Job Readiness
• Short-term Training
• Job Development
• Employer Services
• Subsidized employment

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Tailored Programming for Special Populations

• Youth
• TANF Recipients
• People in recovery
• Justice-involved residents

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Recovery-Friendly Suite of Programs

Recovery-Friendly Specific Services & Programs:

• Access to Recovery Coaches / Certified Peer Recovery Specialists
• Naloxone supplies and training for staff, employees, and customers
• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training offered each quarter
• Anti-stigma and bias trainings
• One-on-one peer support and employee Advocate
• Access to career readiness training and navigators

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�Our mission: To deliver economic justice to Baltimore City residents.��To us, economic justice means creating an equitable workforce system that responds to all residents’ needs and provides viable economic opportunities to all residents, especially those who have been generationally and systemically disadvantaged.

Avery Brow

Recovery Friendly Advisor and Coach

Lee Broadway

Recovery Friendly Advisor

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(443) 890-9022

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moedrfw@baltimorecity.gov

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