A successful drug-free workplace program can help prevent workplace accidents and reduce associated costs for employers. Even employers, who are not required by law to drug test job applicants or existing employees, are now instituting drug testing policies to promote workplace safety. However, many employers end up doing it wrong. Here in this post, we will discuss the top five drug testing mistakes employers make.
Drug Testing Mistake #1: Not Having a Well-Defined Drug Testing Policy
HR professionals at large-scale companies do create well-written drug testing policies but small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) rarely invest time and effort in drafting policies that clearly define the essential elements of a drug-testing program such as:
- The purpose statement
- The drug testing method
- The method of specimen collection
- Confirmation tests, if any
- Who is to be drug tested and when
- Where will drug testing take place
- What happens if an employee tests positive
Workplace drug testing in the absence of a written policy is likely to result in poor implementation, confusion, and litigations.
Drug Testing Mistake #2: Wrong Test Type
A drug testing method that works well for a telecom company may not be suitable for an organization that employs people in safety-sensitive positions.
Urine drug testing, for instance, is the most accepted means of workplace drug testing but hair follicle testing can provide you with more reliable test outcomes for certain controlled substances.
Oral fluid testing can be a great alternative for some companies as collections are relatively easier to administer on-site.
Different drug testing methods vary in invasiveness, the possibility of specimen adulteration or substitution, required facilities, the authenticity of test results, types of drugs detected, and time-window of detection.
It is crucial to choose a drug testing method that best covers your organization.
Drug Testing Mistake #3: Limited Test Panel
Many companies opt for a standard, five-panel drug test, without assessing their unique workplace drug testing requirements.
Nowadays, many organizations are expanding the type and number of drugs for which they test job applicants and employees.
If Opioid abuse is costing employers the most in lost work time, workplace accidents, and associated healthcare costs in your industry, why would you not consider a drug test panel that includes additional opiates such as Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, and Oxymorphone?
Drug Testing Mistake #4: Failing to Conduct Reasonable-Suspicion Drug Testing
Reasonable-suspicion drug testing is conducted when an employee exhibits physical, behavioral, and psychological signs of drug use. It is based on individualized suspicion of a particular worker. Therefore, the HR staff or supervisors need to document objective facts that suggest an employee is under the influence of drugs and in violation of company policy.
However, merely including probable-cause drug testing in your drug testing policy is not enough.
Managers, supervisors, and HR professionals should be adequately trained in recognizing the potential signs of drug abuse in the workplace. A drug testing policy should clearly state the signs that warrant a drug test as well as the method of documentation. Many companies fail to do that.
Most people tend to avoid confrontation at all costs. You will agree that it’s a common occurrence. Unless the concerned officials fully understand how to make observations significant enough to order reasonable-suspicion drug testing, they are likely to keep ignoring the signs.
Drug Testing Mistake #5: Vaguely Defined Consequences for Testing Positive
At times, drug testing policies are ambiguous on ‘what happens if an employee fails a drug test?’
Some workplace drug screening policies simply state that a test-positive employee would face ‘disciplinary action.’
Vaguely defined consequences for failing workplace drug tests can render the whole exercise ineffective and may even lead to discrimination lawsuits.
Consider the following scenario:
- Two employees, A and B, fail drug tests.
- Employee A is a high-performing worker who has been with the company for five years.
- Employee B joined the company a few weeks ago.
- The company terminates the employment of Employee B; Employee A is kept on.
- Employee B files a court case for unfair dismissal.
In order to eliminate the possibility of uneven treatment of employees, HR professionals need to make sure that workplace drug testing policies are absolutely clear on ‘specific consequences’ that would follow if an employee fails a drug test.
Drug Testing Mistake #6: Not Informing the Employees in Writing
When most companies roll out their drug safety programs, they do with elaborate documentation. However, if you do not have documented proof that all employees have read, understood, and accepted the new program, it may not be legally enforceable.
HR professionals need to make sure that they inform all employees in writing and document their acceptance through consent forms. Any future changes in a drug-testing program, too, should be handled in the same manner. Many companies end up overlooking this, especially when they make changes to an existing drug testing policy.
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