Good Practice Guide for Employing People who use drugs

This article highlights the importance of employing people with lived/living experience and people who actively use drugs, as well as the benefits that peers can provide to organisations supporting drug users. The article goes over strategies to ensure success of peers in the organisation, as well as the potential challenges they may face and ways to manage these challenges. It was developed through an internal audit of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, as well as consultations with organisations implementing harm reduction initiatives who were committed to increasing their peer employment rates.

Key findings related to emerging/promising principles for engaging PWLLE:

1. Flexibility of working hours/sick time to accommodate for chronic health conditions, medical appointments, access to opioid-substitution therapy, etc.
2. Wide range of supports provided for all staff to ensure success and avoid burnout, not singling out people who use drugs
3. Open communication between supervisors and staff to ensure peers are getting the support they need
4. Encouraging peer-led initiatives
5. People who use drugs have a right to be employed and have a right to the same employment standards (wage, hours, benefits, avenues for progression, etc.) as those who do not use drugs

Key findings related to emerging/promising practices for engaging PWLLE:

1. Including sensitization training and information about peers and people who use drugs during orientation for all employees
2. Ensuring opioid-substitution therapy is allowed and encouraged
3. Eliminating mandatory drug tests for employees
4. Additional training and guidance provided for peers who may need extra help familiarising themselves with administrative and operational procedures
5. Assisting peers in setting professional boundaries
6. Encouraging peers to share their knowledge to develop new practices and policies within the organisation

Key finding on policy:

1. Orientation manuals/training practices include sensitization training and information about peers and their crucial role in the organisation
2. “Fitness to work” policy prioritises job performance over full sobriety, and does not discriminate against people who use drugs, as lack of sleep, emotional competence, sickness, etc. should all be included in this policy
3. Salary equity between peers and non-peers who are doing the same job
4. Variety of recruitment models when hiring to ensure peers have access to employment opportunities within the organisation

Other Resource Materials (i.e. images, frameworks, tables…):

Pyramid of Involvement – modeling increasing levels of drug user involvement within an organisation