The Sizzler - Ontario, OR

Bill and Laura Killion have been owners/managers of the Sizzler restaurant in Ontario, Oregon for the past 15 years. They routinely employ 25-30 individuals, half of whom are minors. In 1999, they discovered that nearly a third of their employees were involved in a drug ring, leading to employee intimidation, theft and vandalism. Since then, after instituting a drug policy and drug testing program, their workforce has changed dramatically for the better and their business is thriving.

Prior to 1999, Bill said his work environment was antagonistic. Toward Bill himself, there was "him vs. us" attitude, and trust and teamwork were nearly non-existent among employees. Food costs were escalating due to theft and pilferage. Labor costs also had skyrocketed. Word of the restaurant's problems had spread to the street and directly affected the type of job applicant. Not only were there fewer quality applicants but the business was attracting more undesirable applicants.

Bill's only "drug policy" had been a statement made during new employee orientation that employee drug use would result in termination. He realized he needed to do more when employees began "hanging out" in the parking lot after business hours. Although the restaurant closes at 9 pm, Bill began to find employees in the parking lot in the early morning hours.

Vandalism spread to both inside and outside the building, both during and after business hours. A core group of employees began intimidating others, breaking into vehicles and stealing property. Yet employees who had witnessed the incidents were unwilling to talk with the police. Finally, a friend outside of the business alerted Bill and Laura to the fact that their employees were involved in both drug use and sales.

Bill said he anticipated loss of one third of this workforce but knew he had to do something. As a father of four, he was particularly concerned that the group of employees in question included several minors. The core group of 8-10 employees ranged in age from 16 to 40 and included the entire spectrum of occasional users to dealers. Many were long-term employees, including three of his top back-of-the-house employees. Later, Bill found that three employees 16-17 years of age involved in the group had used for the first time.

Bill put his policy in writing and asked employees to sign it. He gave two weeks' notice of a pre-employment and random drug testing program with the clear intent of forcing young employees to choose between drugs or their jobs. Some of the core group weeded themselves out by quitting or refusing the test, leaving Bill with a smaller group of 4-5 employees to deal with, all of whom quit or were terminated.

Bill said the financial benefits of his program have been amazing. He recouped the costs of drug tests in the first month and a half through increased productivity, better quality applicants and an instantaneous stop to the parking lot vandalism and theft. Bill believes he has 30% less supervisory problems now that the vandalism and incident reports have stopped and he has more time to manage the business. He sees a complete change of attitude among his workforce, with employees working as a team, trusting each other and management, and interested in improving the business. Bill says that he "can leave for three days now without worrying about a hopeless mess when he returns" as employees now look out for each other.

In retrospect, Bill and Laura would have done a few things differently. He would have escorted employees to the clinic for random drug tests or used onsite tests, as some employees failed to report for the test. Bill and Laura would have looked for expert help in writing the substance abuse policy, rather than winging it themselves. Bill said drug policy and drug testing was all new ground to them, with the exception of Laura's training in documentation as an RN. Above all, he wishes he could have prevented the young employees from becoming involved for the first time on his property. Bill would like to work with other local employers who employ significant numbers of youth to send a clear message that job success depends upon being drug free.