Improving the Workplace with Employee Drug Testing

Getting a job can be a difficult process. After filing cover letters, polishing resumes, and conducting interviews, the average job seeker might feel their tireless search has ended. However, now employees are facing another hurdle they must overcome before starting a new job; a mandatory drug test. While this may seem an inconvenience or an invasion of privacy, it is actually a proven means to ensure workplace productivity and safety.

Aside from being illegal, drug usage can significantly affect job performance. It leads to missed workdays, attitude problems, accidents, and violence. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor found that businesses lose more than $75 billion annually as a result of drug-related incidents. Furthermore, a study by Occupational Health and Safety Magazine found that up to sixty-five percent of workplace accidents result from drug usage.

In an effort to ensure quality job performance, some businesses are taking drug tests beyond the initial employment screening process. Employers are widely participating in evaluations of current workers to ensure illegal substances do not impair business functioning. For most, testing arises from reasonable suspicion on the part of the employer. However, more and more businesses are adopting random screening policies. By not knowing when a test will occur, employees can not simply plan their drug use around a testing date. Thus, randomized assessments prove an even greater deterrent.

While most employers use a simple urine test to ensure employee compliance with drug regulations, some are looking to more advanced testing methods. Thus, some testing consultants now offer oral swab and hair sample screening. These methods are more accurate and less subject to sample alteration or contamination.

Drug testing may seem like an invasion of privacy. However, its legality has been repeatedly upheld. More than sixty percent of all businesses use some form of employee drug testing, and it is easy to see why. Employer drug testing is a proven deterrent to an illegal drug habit. Thus, those whose employer uses drug tests are less likely to face the medical and legal repercussions of illicit drug usage. Additionally, employers themselves benefit from decreased worker’s compensation fees and increased workplace productivity.