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July 28, 2023
Having Drug Free Workplace Policies in place is important for any organization. Clear and consistent policies about drug use can help reduce a company’s risk of job-related liabilities, prevent workplace accidents caused by impaired employees, and increase the productivity and engagement of employees. It can also help develop an overall healthier work environment and culture. It can lead to a decrease in disciplinary actions, terminations, and absences due to drug use or abuse. This will lead to less turnover.
Identifying potential drug abuse before it becomes a problem is essential when implementing workplace drug policies. This can be done through various methods, such as pre-employment background checks or random drug testing throughout the year. Pre-employment background checks provide employers with information about an applicant’s past criminal activity. This activity may include illegal substances that could lead to workplace problems. Furthermore, random drug testing helps employers identify current employee usage of drugs that may be impacting their performance at work. This also puts a standard in place for your employees. They know that you could randomly check at any given moment, keeping your employees on track to continue to be drug free.
Proper policies regarding drug testing and background checks are essential for any organization’s health and success.
Drug Free Workplace Policies are crucial for businesses to create and maintain a safe, productive working environment. They are also important in the aspect of protecting the legal rights of employees. Proper policies ensure that not only qualified individuals who do not use drugs are hired or retained but protect those that the company already employs. These policies are also a safeguard to protecting the business from any legal issues down the road.
Some successful case studies back up the claims that you will see an improvement in employees who test negative over those who test positive for drugs. For example, in 1989, Parish did a case study over the course of 6 months. During this time, they hired all applicants, no matter what their drug testing results revealed, and the numbers were astonishing. In the group, there were 22 people that had tested positive for drug use during their pre-employment screening. This group was found to have a 64% higher disciplinary warning than others that were hired during the same time. They also have a 28% higher turnover rate from those using drugs versus those not.
As you can see, the numbers speak volumes. The need for a drug free workplace is huge to ensure there is less turnover and fewer issues with the employees as far as needing disciplinary action. This is all very costly to employers, making it so important that they adopt a drug testing policy of their own.
Drug use at work can lead to increased costs, decreased efficiency, and reduced employee safety, as you can see in the study. Furthermore, studies have even shown a correlation between workplace drug use and higher absenteeism rates. Besides, recreational and prescription drug use could potentially expose your business to legal risks.
Establishing strict policies sets a precedent for the organization’s commitment to providing safe workplaces. Drug free workplace policies enable companies to foster an environment of respect, trust, and productivity. These are all critical elements of achieving success in any business setting.
To protect your company from potential liabilities associated with improper screening processes or lack thereof, hiring a professional company that provides accurate background checks and reliable drug testing results is important. Here at Wolfe, Inc., we are dedicated to helping you get your testing done properly. Our team of experts works with our employer clients to ensure they get their employees the most accurate background screens and drug testing possible. After all, inaccurate information could also pose to be a liability to your company. So don’t wait; be sure to start implementing drug screenings in your business. If you should have questions regarding our services, we are simply a phone call away. Call 800-230-2991.
While you may be thinking that with all these policies in place, there won’t be many issues found. However, there have been some reports that the amount of testing has increased over the past few years. This will lead to an increase in more people being caught using drugs while in the workforce. In fact, from 2012 to 2022, there has been an increase of 204.2% in post-accident positive marijuana tests. Furthermore, from 2018-2022 there has been a 15.4% increase in positive amphetamines by workers. (2) These numbers are staggering; despite the fact that more and more companies are implementing Drug Free Workplace policies, there are still accidents. When tested after the accident, the number of people using some sort of drug is on the rise.
While this might appear to be a con, it’s simply proving facts that otherwise may have not been found out should there not be testing done. Without testing, these employees would remain in the workforce and could cause more accidents and problems.
Drug Free Workplace policies are essential for businesses to create and maintain a safe and productive working environment. Clear and consistent policies on drug use can help reduce a company’s risk of job-related liabilities. They can prevent workplace accidents caused by impaired employees and increase employee productivity. Identifying potential drug abuse before it becomes a problem is important. This can be done through various methods, such as pre-employment background checks or random drug testing throughout the year.
Take action today by implementing a comprehensive Drug Free Workplace Policy at your organization! Doing so will ensure that you protect your business from job-related liabilities while creating trust between managers and staff members.
We at Wolfe Inc are here to help you with getting those drug screens and background checks completed. We have worked in the industry for many years and follow strict regulations set forth by HIPAA, DOT, and other well-known organizations. If you are looking to improve your business’s workforce, start by implementing a Drug Free Workplace Policy today.
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