Substance abuse is a significant problem that impacts societies and economies around the globe. Workplaces are subject to the detriments of substance abuse and are still reeling from the challenges that it brings to the fore.

In this blog, we take a look at the importance of drug screening in your hiring process and beyond. This blog will help you understand and evaluate how drug testing can help your organization in the long run and what benefits it brings.

Combatting Substance Abuse

According to stats released by the United States Department of Health, a few stand out regarding substance abuse and how it impacts the workplace. It’s suggested that:

• 77 percent of all substance abusers are currently employed in a reputable firm.
• Almost more than 60 percent of adults believe they know someone who works under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• American companies witness over $80 billion in absenteeism, workplace accidents, and lack of productivity due to substance abuse in employees working in the organization.

While organizations are usually clueless when it comes to handling substance abuse and the perils that it offers, they can go for drug testing as a possible solution. Companies can use drug testing to enforce their rules and make sure that their policies aren’t compromised.

Drug tests can either be conducted as a part of pre-employment checks or randomly during the employment period.

• Pre-employment drug tests are conducted when an employee is about to join the organization. These tests go to prove that drug abuse of all forms will never be tolerated in the workplace. Applicants with a substance abuse history are less likely to sign in for a drug test in a new place, which will allow you to save time and money.
• Random testing in current employees can also help reinforce the drug-free policy you wish to adopt in the organization. The random tests will keep all employees in check.

All in all, drug testing is absolutely essential while hiring new employees and randomly during the course of the employment period. You can also consider different drug testing policies, such as post-accident testing and reasonable suspicion testing.

Benefits of Workplace Drug Testing

Drug testing in the workplace comes with numerous benefits that help outline the importance of the process and add weight to it. Some of these benefits include:

Promotes Safety

Before anything else, drug tests in the workplace help to promote safety in the organization. Regular drug tests will help reduce the chances of impaired workers in the workplace and will eventually reduce the risk of accidents. Drugs can have multiple effects on your business. Besides just the normal damage caused by unproductive employees, the actions of a few impaired employees can lead to a rise in major accidents in workplaces that might involve heavy machinery, contractors, and other team members.

Reduces Company Liability

The company is usually held responsible even if an impaired employee is involved in an accident in the workplace. Regular drug testing in the organization can help you avoid such situations, as all employees with a history of substance abuse or who regularly use drugs can be screened out and respective measures can be taken on time.

Employees are Held Accountable

Recovering from substance abuse can be a tricky process for most individuals. Besides measures of self-care and accountability, such external factors as regular workplace drug testing can keep a check on employees. Regular drug testing reinforces accountability in all employees and gives them a sense of responsibility for their actions. Employees with additional accountability often realize that they are regularly tested for drug abuse and cannot fall back to substance-related issues.

Saves Money and Reputation

An employee under the influence can cause multiple accidents that can affect your company both internally and externally. An organization can be liable to pay substantial legal fees and penalties that may be caused by an employee under the influence. Besides, if such an employee is hired for a customer-facing position, your company may lose customers due to their inadequate behavior, or, in the worst-case scenario, customers who have to interact with that person might sue your company for intolerance, assaults, and other reasons. You should always keep in mind that people who work for your company represent it even outside working hours, and you want this representation to be impeccable.

Contact us today to find out more about Drug Screening services provided by Information On Demand.