Having healthy, happy, and efficient employees is part of any well-run work environment. You might wonder why you should even drug test your employees.
This is why pre-employment drug screening tests come in handy.
As an employer, you may feel hesitant about hiring someone you may think has a substance abuse problem. This makes sense. Knowing who works at your company and who you hire is your responsibility. If you hire someone who has a problem, they can cause you many unnecessary issues such as liability, low productivity, and workplace accidents, to name a few.
Other reasons to drug test in the workplace include:
- Deters employees who might try it from abusing drugs and alcohol.
- Helps you avoid hiring those with drug problems.
- Identifies employees who do use, and gets them the help they need.
- Reduces healthcare costs for employees.
- Ensures you are in compliance with state or federal regulations.
Most employees do a drug test at least once when a job offer is made to a new candidate. Over 20% of Americans abuse drugs. This is a large number and could be anyone. Even those you least suspect.
Testing for illegal substances only once is not often enough. Many employers decide to drug test after accidents, under reasonable suspicion, and conduct follow-up testing. Drug testing at random is a requirement for DOT employees, but non-DOT employers are also able to conduct random drug tests. This prevents any questioning from happening.
What happens when an employee has a positive drug test?
If you conducted a drug test and an employee shows up as positive, several things can happen. If you have a drug-free workplace policy, then all you need to do is follow the steps in the policy. Other companies can enforce immediate termination in such situations.
What can be done?
Larger companies with the funds may offer a second chance policy, alongside an EAP, which is an employee assistant program. For those companies that do offer second chances, the returning employee must have completed rehabilitation and another drug test, which must be clean. For DTO employees, they must also see a Substance Abuse Professional for extra assistance to stay clean.
Benefits of drug testing employees.
Drug testing is an easy, beneficial, and safe way to prevent injuries and accidents in the workplace. Although it is not an enforced law everywhere, it is highly suggested for companies to do it anyway, even when they are not under this jurisdiction.
Some may refuse to work at a place that does drug tests, because they use drugs, or for other reasons. Medical marijuana and legal marijuana usage may deter certain people from applying to your open positions. If you are afraid of this happening, you can check your local jurisdiction. In fact, some places do not allow employees to test for marijuana.
Where can I order bulk drug tests?
If you are in need of bulk drug tests of any kind, order them online today from Preferred Med Supply, the preferred medical supplier of all companies.
