The prevalence of drug consumption in modern society, be it for recreational and social use, pain relief, increasing focus, or other reasons, creates business risk in the workplace. Alongside alcohol, drug use and abuse, of both medicinal and illegal drugs, is a major issue for HR to protect the business from office injuries, industrial accidents, workplace abuse, and reputational risk.
To prevent these issues, in-work drug testing is increasingly common. However, the task must be handled sensitively in line with employee rights, compliance regulations, and other issues to maintain a safe, secure, and productive workplace.
Managing the Risk of Drug Use
Human resources professionals will be aware that as their business grows, the statistical risk of issues like fraud, drug abuse, and absenteeism becomes rife. If left unchecked, there are hazards to the company, risks to individuals, and darker issues like drug dealing, blackmail, and other workplace threats.
By controlling the risk of drug abuse, HR promotes the safety and benefits of a narcotic-free workplace for a legally compliant environment. In markets such as the military, sports, security, education, construction, healthcare, and similar areas, drug testing is often part of employee/business compliance.
Transparency is a key part of any testing approach, ensuring that no individual feels victimized or has safety concerns.
Hiring and Working With Drug Testing Compliance in Mind
Some businesses demand a drug test before hiring as part of the employment contract, keeping in touch with changing state and federal laws around drug use.
But even in a normal office environment, drug testing is becoming more common. Testing can be performed to ensure health and safety in the workplace. While an employee can refuse a test, failure to take one is typically grounds for a formal warning or dismissal, especially if there is additional evidence that mandates the test.
Each part of a drug testing policy needs to be codified in office rules and personnel contracts to drive compliance. They must align with national, local, and regional laws and ensure that data about drug testing and cases remains secure and private. This approach will prevent challenges and legal complaints over drug testing.
Technology in Workplace Drug Testing
When it comes to drug testing, there are many ways that businesses can broadly enforce and encourage compliance. This can include the use of a marijuana detector to scan for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in vapes or cigarettes in social areas, as well as efforts to disguise them.
The use of ultraviolet lighting in bathrooms and toilet cubicles can dissuade workers from injecting drugs. Various drug detectors can be used at access points to detect and prevent drugs from entering the work premises.
For individual tests, HR must ensure workers provide written consent, and the business must be aware of the ethical minefield of random or surreptitious drug testing, as well as of what workers do in their own time, provided it does not affect their work performance.
Understanding Technology for Individual Tests
If there are sufficient grounds or suspicion that someone has taken drugs a range of tests from hair, breath, urine and ultimately blood can be taken. Again, these must be taken in compliance with testing rules and guidelines to avoid contamination or the risk of invalidating the test.
Drug and health screening services are available across most metropolitan areas to handle the task neutrally. Drug and alcohol testing can be reported back to the business and tests must remain private, with only authorized roles informed of the results and any ultimate impact. Tests must never be made public and the data must be securely handled to prevent disclosure.
Human Resources Best Practices for Drug Testing Procedures
Within any business, along with all the other hiring and training information, workers must be made aware of a clear and well-defined testing policy that applies at all levels of the business.
Employee education must identify any changes in the policy and applicable laws, and the potential severity of a positive test. It can also highlight real-world examples of the damage that drugs have caused in the workplace. This can also be integrated into staff wellness programs.
Testing technology, its location, and its use must be explained to workers as it is added to a building or other infrastructure, and the types of tests and their scientific validity should also be highlighted.
Testing staff, HR professionals involved in the testing process and other stakeholders must be educated to the highest levels on the need for fairness, an open mind, and discretion when planning, working o,n or reporting on drug testing.
Finally, employees should be supported with information on the impact of drugs in the workplace, the threat to the business and individual careers, and the general damage from substance abuse.
Conclusion
Drug use is a sensitive topic for any business and worker, one that must be managed by creating a fair policy that balances the needs of the business and the well-being of workers. It must incorporate all legal, regulatory, and ethical standpoints and be fair across the business.
Through insightful education, informed consent, high-quality testing, and a level approach from HR, drug testing can protect the business and workforce, reducing risk and the reputational or physical damage that abuse can cause.
As society changes and new drugs arrive, businesses need to be ready to adapt to ensure their processes and policies remain appropriate as laws and social norms evolve.
