Drug-free Policies Start with Company Culture

RCS Influencer RudyGutierrez says if someone wants to test the bounds of our drug policy, we know they are not a good fit with our company.

We have a tight culture at Shell Roofing Solutions.  We believe in selecting the right people for the business. We do the typical assessment along with drug testing, etc. but we take it one step further.  We have learned that most potential employees have worked somewhere else in roofing.  We are friendly with our competitors and know most of the other roofing companies in our region. It is about picking up the phone and asking why that employee left and why they are looking for work at our company.  It is okay to dig and find out their history to make sure it is a good fit for our company.

During the interviews and first weeks on the job we also watch for the subtleties of how they perform.  We are a small team and work closely together.  If we see funny business or someone who wants to test the bounds of our safety and drug policy, we know it is not a good fit.  We have a zero tolerance for any alcohol or drug use on the job.  So, although marijuana is now legal, it is not tolerated at our company.  We have a strict policy against smoking too.  By sticking to our strict policies, we protect our team.  The person who is going to press the limits of the safety program, is not going to work for us.  We know if we do not enforce our safety and drug policies, someone will ultimately get hurt or hurt someone else.

Due to our selection policy and the zero tolerance it has created an organic culture of professionalism. The leadership of the company and leaders on the roof set the precedence of a total commitment to safety and zero drug use.  They also set a precedent of professionalism.  We believe in respect. We have had employees in the past who had drinks at lunch and they were terminated on the spot.  It starts at the top with the example of all the leadership and it grows throughout our team as a point of pride and professionalism.

Employees have expectations of each other and they want an environment of teamwork.  At Shell, no matter who you are in the company you are a team member.  Our goal is to be sure everyone comes home to their families and comes home safe and sound.  It is not easy to always follow all safety rules or drug policies, but it is harder to get hurt or hurt someone else.  We want our employees safe.  We care about them and they care about each other.  We want to be good teammates.  If they don’t want to be a team member who follows the rules and culture we don’t want them.  It is ok to go through a few employees. At the end of the day it is about bringing everyone home safe.

Rudy Gutierrez, Shell Roofing Solutions is president and CEO of Shell Roofing Solutions. See his full bio here.