Drug testing employees as a standard procedure can eliminate those difficult moments

The manager of the agency probably wished she had introduced drug testing instead of accusing her staff member directly. It may have been the only way to have helped her administrative assistant, a good worker with plenty of potential who quit her job in a huff and never returned.

Betty had confronted Joanna (real names not being used) face to face, telling her she was using cocaine. Betty had seen Joanna snorting a white power from her hand-held mirror in the bathroom. Joanna said it was crushed aspirin to alleviate her migraine.

After the accusation, Joanna quit her job, saying her efforts and hard work had not been appreciated. She was not to be seen again. 

Drug Alcohol Testing would have been a non-intrusive way of helping Joanna. All employees would have been treated equally and no one would have been singled out. Unlike Joanna, who had found pamphlets about cocaine abuse strewn on her desk where everyone could see.

Betty was only trying to help after Joanna’s performances started to fall and her requests for loans increased. She thought by confronting Joanna, there would be a positive response. 

Alcohol Drug Testing in the workplace is emerging as an increasingly valid method of tackling what is becoming a major global issue. Countries around the world such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia and many others have recognised the need to address drug use in the workplace, which increases safety risks and costs billions of dollars in lost productivity annually.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse in the United States reveals that more than two-thirds of people who abuse drugs and alcohol are in employment, more than half of them full time. Workplace drug testing is a useful tool to prevent this from happening in your own company.

It estimates that more than one hundred billion dollars a year is lost because of employees abusing drugs, three-quarters of it from reduced productivity. Other costs involve medical bills and addiction treatment. Onsite drug and alcohol testing can save costs.

Employees using drugs are also four times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident, reflecting similar survey figures from research in Australia. In addition, according to government statistics, these drug-abusing employers are five times more likely to file workers’ compensation claims.

The cost of Drug & Alcohol Testing on a wide scale is cost-effective when compared to the losses incurred through reduced productivity. One drug test usually costs less than US$50. It may be worthwhile for employers in industries where drug abuse by employees drastically affects profit to take on the costs of drug testing their own staff. Workplace drug testing is the solution.

The problem Betty might have faced is the legality of forcing Joanna and her colleagues to submit to a drugs test, which is not allowed in every state. 

Company policies regarding testing employees, therefore, must comply with state-level laws. 

Even if testing is allowed, how employers are able to respond to those testing positive for drugs is also limited depending on the state.

Patrick Dixon, in globalchange.com, says that drug testing is probably the single most effective way of cracking down on substance abuse within the workplace, though he questions some of the legal and moral aspects of such a program.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=1957