Partner Article

5 Reasons for Employee Drug Testing

Recruitment of employees is one of the most sophisticated tasks assigned to the HR department. This is a complex process that requires careful screening and precise guidelines. While there are numerous phases and tests included in the process of recruitment and selection, the HR department is also required to carry out drug testing to ensure that the potential employee is not addicted to any sort of drugs that may affect/influence his performance and behavior.

Drug testing of potential employees is essential due to several reasons. And here are the most important ones out of them.

Legalities and Regulations

Initially, most of the states require an organization to carry out a drug test before hiring an individual. The US Department of Transportation, for instance, requires all the companies in this industry to carry out drug testing of people they hire, in order to ensure the safety of public and material possessions.

Similarly, most industries require organizations to ensure that their employees are not into drug addiction and stuff.

Safety

Safety perhaps is the most important reason why companies should carry out drug testing of their employees. Drug testing ensures that an employee is in their senses and completely sane on the job or else wise, individuals under the influence of drugs can pose a danger to other people or even material possessions.

A drugged employee can lose his senses and damage property or quarrel with colleagues.

For example, employees entrusted with operating heavy machinery must remain in their senses at all times.

Also, medical professionals must not be drugged either as their tasks are extremely sensitive and decisive.

In order to ensure public safety within or outside office premises, drug testing of employees is extremely important.

Performance

Obviously, individuals, high on drugs cannot perform the tasks assigned to them in the most efficient/effective manner, leading to low productivity and chances of errors. Employees dealing with sensitive information and figures related to a company must be vigilant at all times or else the company could end up in deep trouble due to an employees error.

In order to ensure that the employees put maximum effort and carry out tasks without any flaws or obstruction, organizations must carefully screen their employees for traces of drug addiction.

Cost Effectiveness

While employee drug testing may bother you due to its costs in short-term, it is a highly cost-effective strategy in the long term. Companies that decide to carry out drug testing of their employees can save themselves from potential costs that may occur due to employees under the influence of drugs.

Also, if you decide to test your potential employees for drugs, you can save your organization from future hassle and costs of recruitment and selection of new employees in case an existing employee is tested positive for drug addiction and poses a threat.

Reputation and PR

Drug testing of employees contributes a great deal to the integrity of your organization in front of the public. Consumers tend to trust organizations that carry out employee drug testing with larger and sensitive projects more often.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rajan Gohil .