Playing Russian Roulette - Drug Testing is a Must for Small Businesses!

Employers should be very prudent and wise when hiring.  The hiring decision is one of the most important decisions a manager can make.  Today, employers have little choice but to look behind the curtain!  You need to be wary and careful so that you don't inadvertently invite problems into your workplace.  Today, I'm going to touch on Drug Testing. 

Drug users are a huge problem, especially for small-sized businesses.  They experience higher absenteeism, higher accident-rates, higher costs to insurance, lower productivity, and higher incidents of employee relations problems (theft, violence, and low-employee morale). 

Here's a hair-raising statistic!  Statistically, 1 out of every 3 applicants test positive for an illicit (illegal) drug.  Marijuana is the most common drug found in drug screens.  Also, we find Cocaine and Methamphetamine are extremely common. 

I recommend companies:

• Provide training on substance abuse awareness.
• Implement a substance abuse policy.
• Implement drug detection methods such as "Pre-Employment," "Post-Accident" and "Reasonable Suspicion" Drug testing. 
• For maximum effectiveness, I recommend implementing random drug testing.

Let me share a quick story to illustrate: 

Two large retail chains were competing in the community for the same applicant base.  Both had placed their applications at the front door for walk-in traffic to see and apply for a job. 

One had posted a big sign at their applications box announcing:  "We  require Pre-Employment Drug Screening."  Their competitor did not.  

Watching an in-store camera, they observed a large number of walk-in applicants (my guess is 1 out of every 3 applicants), who reached for the applications, read the sign, and put the applications back.  (Hmmmmm......those folks probably went to apply at their competitor who did NOT do Pre-employment Drug Screening).       

My advice:  You'll need a drug testing policy that you can implement for your current team.  And you can purchase 5-panel urine analysis kits for approximately $10.00/each.  Hire an HR Consultant to develop your program and offer training to your workforce.  Seriously....today, it seems ridiculous not to invest in this inexpensive measurement to deter hiring in employees whose "extra-curricular activities" might pose a problem for your workforce. 

Kathleen Lapekas - PHR
Action HR Consulting
For Personal Attention to Personnel Matters...
http://www.actionhrconsultant.com/