This paper describes a method for taking a known prevention intervention and modifying it to suit young restaurant workers. Such workers are at high risk for alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse according to national surveys. While evidence-based programs for AOD prevention exist, they have not been delivered to restaurants. Accordingly, an adaptation methodology was developed by integrating curricula from a previous evidence-based program with research on resilience and input from stakeholders, such as young restaurant workers, their managers, trainers, and subject matter experts. A new curriculum (Team Resilience) maintained fidelity to the original program while incorporating stakeholder insights. At the end of each of three training sessions, participants (n = 124) rated their awareness of AOD risks, help-seeking orientation, and personal resilience. Ratings tended to increase across sessions, showing participants perceived benefits from Team Resilience. Discussion highlights the need for research-to-practice protocols in occupational health psychology.

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Purpose-(1) To determine the effectiveness of classroom health promotion/prevention training designed to improve work climate and alcohol outcomes; (2) to assess whether such training contributes to improvements in problem drinking beyond standard workplace alcohol policies.Design-A cross-sectional survey assessed employee problem drinking across three time periods. This was followed by a prevention intervention study; work groups were randomly assigned to an 8-hour training course in workplace social health promotion (Team Awareness), a 4-hour informational training course, or a control group. Surveys were administered 2 to 4 weeks before and after training and 6 months after posttest.Setting and Subjects-Employees were surveyed from work departments in a large municipality of 3000 workers at three points in time (year, sample, and response rates are shown): (1) 1992, n = 1081, 95%; (2) 1995, n = 856, 97%; and (3) 1999, n = 587, 73%. Employees in the 1999 survey were recruited from safety-sensitive departments and were randomly assigned to receive the psychosocial (n = 201), informational (n = 192), or control (n = 194) condition.Intervention-The psychosocial program (Team Awareness) provided skills training in peer referral, team building, and stress management. Informational training used a didactic review of policy, employee assistance, and drug testing.Measures-Self-reports measured alcohol use (frequency, drunkenness, hangovers, and problems) and work drinking climate (enabling, responsiveness, drinking norms, stigma, and drink with coworkers). Results-Employees receiving TeamAwareness reduced problem drinking from 20% to 11% and working with or missing work because of a hangover from 16% to 6%. Information-trained workers also reduced problem drinking from 18% to 10%. These rates of change contrast with changes in problem drinking seen from 1992 (24%) to 1999 (17%). NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAm J Health Promot. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 September 22. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript improvements differed significantly from control subjects, which showed no change at 13%. Employees receiving Team Awareness also showed significant improvements in drinking climate. For example, scores on the measure of coworker enabling decreased from pretest (mean = 2.19) to posttest (mean = 2.05) and follow up (mean = 1.94). Posttest measures of drinking climate also predicted alcohol outcomes at 6 months. Conclusion-Employersshould consider the use of prevention programming as an enhancement to standard drug-free workplace efforts. Team Awareness training targets work group social health, aligns with employee assistance efforts, and contributes to reductions in problem drinking.

Objectives To examine whether a web-based health and leadership development program—designed specifically for managers—was associated with changes in self-reported and biometric indicators of cardiovascular risk (CVD) within the context of a randomized control trial. Methods 145 managers from eight organizations participated in a 6-month Internet-based program or a control condition. They completed pre- and posttest assessments that included both self-reported attitudes (on diet, exercise, and mental health) and biometric measures (e.g., body weight, waist circumference). Results The intervention was associated with improvements in dietary attitudes, dietary self-efficacy, and exercise, and reductions in distress symptoms. Women in the program reduced their waist circumference significantly more than controls. Conclusions The program showed promise for reducing CVD risk factors. Similar results across diverse organizations suggest the program may be useful across industry types.

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Two recent trends affect how organizations design and manage work. First, organizations are adapting more complex, nonbureaucratic models, pursuing multiple and disparate goals, and restructuring through upsizing, downsizing, and outsourcing (Gowing, Kraft, & Quick, 1998). These changes create pressures that have a negative impact on employee health. As a result, new models of organizational well-being that balance health and productivity are needed (Cooper, 1999;Karasek, 2001). Second, the changing nature of work occurs in tandem with the development of management models, which treat organizations as complex systems that undergo rapid cycles of change (e.g. , "emergent" organizations; Hock, 1999;Stacey, Griffin,

Employees fail to seek help for alcohol or drug (AOD) abuse because of unhealthy work climates, stigma, and distrust in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). To address such problems, the authors randomly assigned groups of municipal employees (N = 260) to 2 types of training: a 4-hr informational review of EAPs and policy and an 8-hr training that embedded messages about AOD reduction in the context of team building and stress management. Pre- and posttraining and 6-month follow-up surveys assessed change. Group privacy regulation, EAP trust, help seeking, and peer encouragement increased for team training. Stigma of substance users decreased for information training. EAP/policy knowledge increased for both groups. A control group showed little change. Help seeking and peer encouragement also predicted EAP utilization. Integrating both team and informational training may be the most effective for improving help seeking and EAP utilization.

Previous studies have noted that employees who work in jobs with physical risk report more substance use than employees working in nonrisky jobs. This study examined the extent to which this relationship could be explained by personal background, specifically general deviance or psychosocial functioning, or work characteristics, including job stressors, organizational bonding, or work group drinking climate. Results from two worksites (ns = 943, 923) indicated that the relationship of job risk and alcohol problems could be fully explained by personal characteristics, particularly deviant behavior styles. Interaction effects were also found. Employees with more deviance indicators were particularly susceptible to recent drug use and problem drinking when they worked in drinking climates or exposed to co-worker drinking. These results suggest the joint influence of personal and job factors and support prevention programs that target the workplace social environment.