Ladies and Gents

There was a time when gender differences were not as disparaged as they sometimes can be today. There was a time when women could draw on their own strengths, and men could draw on their specific strengths, and that each gender could really contribute something special and motivational to the company in which they worked. There was a time when “unisex” was not an understood term.

Before I go on, I should inform my audience of the fact that I am female, so this is in no way meant to be a disparagement of either gender. In fact, much can be said on behalf of utilizing gender differences in order to make your business more productive. The androgynous look has become popular since many people feel comfortable blending gender identities when a male has an effeminate personality or a female has a masculine personality. Androgyny helps to hide these strong personality characteristics, and help each individual feel more normal. There are other things which also help people to feel more normal.

Structure, discipline, challenges, self evolvement are all things which feel good to people. They carry with them an aspect of humanity with which we can all identify. They make us feel capable of growth and as if we are growing now.

Onsite drug and alcohol testing brings structure, discipline and encouragement of self evolvement to the workplace. While a few many complain about your company policy in this area, it carries with it a safety mechanism. Workplace drug testing necessarily allows your company a way out if someone were to act in an offensive manner while on the jobsite. This is also the case with dangerous or irresponsible behavior.

Employees should understand very clearly that their safety and their lives are the most important thing to your business, and that you take these things very seriously. Drug & alcohol testing may not only save lives, but it also breeds an atmosphere of safety and security for your employees. This is something for which we all strive. When looking into drug testing in Australia, check out the services offered by Mediscreen.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2041

Inner Belief and Hope

“Believe in yourself.” “You can be anything you want to be.” As children, we are told those two phrases a lot, with the belief that we will grow up inspired and driven to accomplish great things. However, as we get older, the conditioning and conventional thinking of those around us are telling, and these dreams are shattered as soon as we have some big scheme to accomplish an outrageous plan, such as starting a new circus or becoming the richest guy in the world, we are quickly squashed in our thinking.

Perhaps, after such discouragement growing up and as adults, the new phrase should be, “Believe in yourself because, after all, no one else will do it for you.”

Jobsites and offices are not just meant to house the great unwashed, as some of us are called. The working masses are not just meant to sit inside of temperature controlled cubicles or to work inside of construction zone tape. There must be growth. There must be challenges, and there must be high amounts of self development. There must be a way out of the system if we need to leave it…a way which does not cost us all of our savings. It is hard, sometimes, to truly separate yourself from your peers or your parents or other very influential people in your life, but it can be done. It should be done.

Inner belief fuels some of the greatest productiveness in society today, and it is crucial in self challenging, mind expanding, labor destroying self fulfillment. That is why companies use drug and alcohol testing today. That is why workplace drug testing is as popular to utilize as it is. We all desire to create and to work within levels of learning. However, people who are substance abusers can really bring down the average of growth in a company. You must, therefore, keep your head held high, and continue utilizing the effective means found in onsite alcohol drug testing. At Mediscreen, we want you to succeed and we know you can. To find out more about onsite drug and alcohol screening, call us today.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2038

How to Develop Internally Motivated Employees

Working in a proper workplace will naturally develop some internal motivation in most people. The theory is that fun, supportive, and creative work is its own reward, and that NOT giving out financial incentives will lead to this internal motivation. Practice supports theory, and this is something which has been known to workplace managers and executives for some time. Offices and jobsites which use alcohol and drug testing are upholding this supportive environment. For one, drug screening sets a minimum precedent of conduct, so that employees do not feel as if just anyone can enter the jobsite and have access to it. Just like with a home, management must screen and evaluate those who have access to the workplace in order to determine if they are safe people to enter a guarded area.

Just like with a home, your jobsite should be evaluated by potential intruders. Workplace drug testing can really aid in this effort.

When employees are able to take pride in their work, they get part internal motivation from that. When they are allowed to work freely and openly toward company goals, without the threat of danger or managerial upset or problems from their coworkers, they are able to unblock their path which leads to success. This is another internal motivation. Thirdly, workers can find themselves needing both predictable, safe routines as well as challenges and opportunities to break free from the norm and get a great deal accomplished with this.

Internal motivation is hacked into by things like external incentives and bonuses. These are purely external, and the employee who only looks toward these outer goals will seldom continue to develop internal motivation and enthusiasm for what they do. People feel best when they are able to take some pride in what they do. It is a part of human nature to wish to fulfill yourself more and more as you grow into a better version of life. Call our offices and schedule your onsite alcohol drug testing appointment today. At Mediscreen, our drug screening is truly top notch.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2035

Help with Refinement

When you have a bulky business system in place, it helps to refine it. This means that, where you had inefficient processes and time consuming laboring before you, you should develop systems which can replace the old ones, streamline the workload, get everything done in a fraction of the time, step up the revenue or allow your employees to work shorter hours. Whatever the case, refinement allows you to observe your business operation from a very objective point of view and to come up with better ways of doing things. Without this objective perspective, you are unable to truly see what should be fixed, and you are at the mercy of ancient, clumsy systems which existed during the industrial revolution.

One of the ways in which you can cut down on ultra bulky organizational processes is to reduce the amount of time that your employees take to get tested for alcohol or illicit drugs. Onsite drug and alcohol screening has been a godsend when it comes to cutting down the time involved, and focusing on samples which take up more time and which need to be studied further.

Other types of laboratory testing may involve a lengthy process, where you are footing the bill for overhead laboratory costs, instead of the light, easy process of using onsite drug & alcohol testing right there at your workplace. The difference between turnaround time and cost reduction is amazing. At Mediscreen, our onsite testing services are the best, and they involve simple, straight forward formulas for getting into your jobsite, getting the tests done, and getting back out. Drug screening is easy and fast the way that we do it, rather than time draining and slow when you have to send your employees to a lab to get tested. Even your staff will appreciate the extra ease with which they can get the process over with and get on with their lives. Workplace drug testing truly is the best way to get your work done. For more information about all of the services we offer, please visit our website.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2029

Drinking After the Holidays

Everyone enjoys a few drinks during the holidays, but it is after the holidays such behavior should be shut up and put away for the next festivities, whenever they may be. There is a time for work, and a time for play.

Employees who often engage in substance abuse find themselves mixing the two as much as possible. The mentality of substance abuse is that they cannot emotionally handle going to work and engaging in work for the majority of the day. At that point, they attempt to incorporate rest or play, and if such behavior is not tolerated on the jobsite, they may resort to drinking or getting high before they leave or even before arriving to work. This circumstance can be really taxing both on them and on their coworkers and employers. The result is that these employees are often fired in the first place, just for being incompetent.

The responsible worker can easily from play to work and back again, but can easily keep the two things separate. Without this type of employees, your workers are unable to tell the difference between professional and inappropriate behavior, and between “busy work” and actual relevant productivity. Workplace drug testing gives you insight into how this process can occur in anyone. Your favorite, most respected, most loved employee can fall off the wagon and begin drinking again. Your best manager can take up crack cocaine. If you do not know what is going on behind the scenes, you can place false hope in someone who will soon not be as competent as you would wish. Drug screening takes away this doubt. Alcohol testing gives you information that you can actually trust. We are all gullible when we play favorite, but drug and alcohol testing plays no favorites, nor does it express an opinion. It simply delivers the facts, just as they are. This is a noteworthy goal, and this has such an impact on business today.

So, when you are planning for post holiday production, remember to use onsite drug and alcohol screening for your employees’ sake.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2023

Those Who Cannot See Themselves

A good employee is able to see themselves in a clear light. They are able to look upon their own work in a very honest light, and they can see their own weaknesses and can acknowledge their own strengths. Someone who can honestly see themselves is able to talk about their weaknesses, which they are working on, and can justly see their own worth and their own inherent strengths.

Alcohol and drug testing is meant to keep the above attitude in all of your current employees. This is not to say that workplace drug testing keeps employees from abusing substances if they choose to, but it will alert you of any team members who are actively blinding themselves.

Drug screening is meant to be eye opening, not eye closing. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, drug screening and alcohol testing cannot be used by companies to hold some vendetta against their lower level employees. Onsite drug alcohol testing is very proper and appropriate for the jobsite, since it reveals the truth…even when no one else wants to give it.

When you have a close friend, you may be aware of their faults, but you still want to help them over hurdles. When an employee abuses drugs or alcohol, they are creating their own hurdles, and you are not being a true friend to them by allowing them to continue in that self destructive behavior. Instead, use drug and alcohol testing to show them that there really is a problem, and then encourage them to seek help with their addiction. Onsite drug & alcohol testing is very effective in revealing the truth about those who cannot see themselves. It helps give physical evidence, on paper, of the validity of their problem. And jobs are not just about employees who come to work and get paid. They are about helping each other out as a team…and as a family.

Mediscreen has successfully been providing alcohol drug testing in Australia for years now. We wish to urge you to check out our website and inquire about our onsite services. We run a good operations here.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=1993

The Symptoms of Drug Use

If you are considering undertaking a contract to employ onsite drug and alcohol testing, it is important that you understand both the laws that apply in Australia and the symptoms of common drug intoxication. Drug screening is an effective way to diagnose intoxication, but there are also symptoms that you can be on the look out for when viewing your employees.

The Australian government penalises both the use and possession of several substances. Cannabis, cocaine, MDMA (or ecstasy), GHB, heroin, LSD and PCP are the main substances that are banned under Australian law. Drug screening should catch any of these drugs, however it is always a good idea to be watchful of signs of intoxication.

The symptoms of cannabis intoxication include relaxation, sleepiness and mild euphoria. It can also inhibit short term memory and cause red or tired looking eyes. Cocaine intoxication is marked by enlarged pupils, agitation, fast heart rate and high blood pressure, and euphoria. MDMA highs are characterised by euphoria, relaxation, talkativeness, desire to be in contact with people and possible mild hallucinations. The use of drug testing equipment will pick up traces of these drugs in a person's system, in some cases even months after initial use. Drug screening should be used to prevent abuse of these substances whilst performing work related duties.

Workplace drug testing will also pick up traces of harder drugs, however. Drug screening will definitively show whether or not any of the following harder drugs have been used. GHB (symptoms of use include relaxation, slow heart beat, sleepiness and occasionally a distinct gas or glue odour), heroin (signs of use may include sedation, euphoria and pain relief or immunity to pain), LSD (characterised by its hallucinogenic effects) and PCP (marked by numbness, slurred speech and unbalanced walking) are all hard drugs whose use can be picked up by the use of drug screening.

It is important to be observant when it comes to employee behaviour. Any marked change in behaviour could be due to drug or alcohol use or abuse. An increase in secretiveness, changes in speech, sleepiness, or undue agitation may be signs that drugs are at play. Onsite drug & alcohol testing should be utilised in order to minimise the chances of employees getting away with using illicit substances. But being observant of changes in behaviour can be helpful between workplace drug testing sessions. However, it is also important to note that some symptoms of drug use could be down to other factors. And not everybody reacts in the same way to the same drug. Because of this, the use of symptom charts cannot be as accurate as drug screening. Observant is good, and may help stop problems before they start, but it is not an alternative to using certified onsite drug and alcohol testing.

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=1990

Survey of drug testing in the workplace among selected companies

The 1981 crash of a Navy jet on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier was a landmark, though tragic, day for the concept of drug testing in the workplace. Investigations after the crash found the presence of drugs in carrier personnel, leading to a wider probe that unearthed extensive drug use in the United States military. It led to President Ronald Reagan issuing Executive Order 12564 that made it mandatory for all federal workplaces to be drug free.

Guidelines were established in 1988 and, since then, industries and private companies have realised that substance abuse is not restricted to federal offices. Indeed, the quest for profit and the pressure to perform has only increased the risks for working environments in which employees resort to drugs as means of escape. Although not mandated, many private companies, most in high-risk industries where drug abuse on the job can cause injuries and fatalities, have decided to implement drug testing policies of their own.

The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice is a survey conducted in 2011 on companies that had rolled out in-house drug testing programs. A total of 1,058 human resources professionals responded to the survey, which was sent to 6,000 random companies, half of them working for publicly listed for-profit companies, with manufacturing (18 percent) and health care (14 percent) representing the largest proportion of sectors. The overall results found that drug testing had a positive impact on overall productivity and employee performance.

One-fifth of companies (19 percent) reported an increase in employee productivity after the implementation of drug testing in the workplace. About 56 percent of the companies had reported a high incidence of workers’ compensation claims prior to drug testing. After implementing the program, such claims dropped to 6 percent from 14 percent. About 16 percent of companies said employer turnover decreased.

Of the companies surveyed, about 69 percent said they had been conducting drug testing among employees for seven years or more. Only 2 percent had been actively testing employees for less than a year.

The survey also showed that the private sector was more aggressive in some aspects of employee drug testing than federal institutions. For instance, 71 percent of companies with more than 2,500 employees said they conducted pre-employment drug testing on potential hires whereas the figure for federal institutions was 51 percent. Workplace drug testing is important for businesses to retain their competitive edge. Drug and alcohol testing is necessary.

The study reported that random alcohol testing in the workplace appears to be the best deterrent of drug abuse on the job because employees have no idea as to when they will be asked to submit to a urine sample. Employers also said that reasonable suspicion testing, in which an employee may be tested for drugs on reasonable grounds of suspicion, dropped 45 percent between 2010 and 2011, probably because employees knew of such a policy and therefore stayed off drugs or a company’s pre-employment tests resulted in a more responsible work force. 

This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=1987