Pros, Cons & Effectiveness of Drug Testing in the Workplace
Workplace drug testing is a very effective way to discourage employees from abusing drugs. These tests are useful tools used by employers to figure out if job applicants or employees use drugs and alcohol. Drug testing in the workplace can be effective only when the drug testing policy is clear and shared with all the parties involved, along with information about drug and alcohol abuse. Raising awareness with help of educational material and training of supervisors about the symptoms and signs of drug and alcohol abuse.
Drug and alcohol abuse can cause health and safety hazards in the workplace. It can also lead to reduced morale and productivity among employees, which can a worrying thing for employers. This is due to the extra costs that an employer might encounter in the form of short-term disability claims and other healthcare-related claims.
Employer testing for drugs is also a great move to secure the company’s reputation. But unfortunately, different cases have been reported, which creates a block of trouble for the company. This post will bring the advantages of the drug test for a workplace under the spotlight, so if you have any queries, read it till the end!
The Pros of Drug Testing
Unfortunately, a drug test is not always well perceived by employees, as some do not see the purpose if they are not consuming any! As a consequence, we have compiled a list of advantages of drug tests in the work environment.
A Calm Environment
A person using anti-depressant and muscle relaxants can be hazardous if he misses his daily dose. In addition, it could be a frightening situation when a manager for example becomes violent and aggressive. There is always a risk of someone getting hurt, either emotionally or physically when an employee loses his mental stability. An unstable or drug addict may injure himself or can damage the furniture, a company’s reputation and so forth.
Safety of the Staff and their Belongings
The primary concern is the privacy and security of the belongings of staff working in the office. An addicted person may try to steal stuff like jewellery, mobile phones, laptops, wallets or anything valuable that might come his way.
The private files and data of the office are also at the risk of being stolen by such staff.
Helps Avoid Extra Costs
Paying for an employee’s hospital bills is a respectable initiative, but if this will start occurring very often and more employees will require such financial help then the organisation might get into financial difficulties.
Neurological treatment is quite expensive. Therefore, requesting a drug test to be performed as part of the recruitment process ensures the company hires healthy people that will be able to perform their duties as expected. Moreover, healthy employees do not require expensive health insurance packages, so it’s a win-win.
Helps Maintain Your Reputation
Employers have to deal with delegations to win and work on different projects. If an unstable or a drug addict would be responsible for handling a project with the cooperation of any other firm, it would be a risky task.
He can turn the firm’s reputation into dust with his abnormal behaviour which could lead to the loss of clients. No one will ever want to work with an organization that employs drug-addicted people.
Increased Efficiency
Your central nervous system is the processing unit that helps you focus on a task and helps in multi-tasking. But a person who is dependable on drugs cannot offer a good level of productivity. Sedatives, narcotics, and anti-depressants make a person sluggish and inactive. Therefore, it can impact his ability to perform a task that needs a high level of attention and involvement.
The Cons Of Drug Testing
Not A Safety Measure
Since a drug test in the workplace does not measure drug use in real-time, it cannot be considered a safety measure. This is because employees can take a break from their drug use to prepare in advance for the drug screen.
Not Always Accurate
The occurrence of false positives on drug tests is very high because some types of foods and medications can show up as illicit substances.
Final Verdict
Drug test helps stop the misuse of drugs and lowers the rate of violence in society, especially in the workplace. It is better to help such employees by offering them information and encouraging them to seek medical help rather than fire them.