Many companies nowadays employ pre-employment drug screening policies to find out whether prospective employees are substance users. Some of these companies even have regular, random drug testings just to ensure that their workplace is free of drugs. For these companies, it’s a clear indication that illegal substance abuse is not welcomed in their day-to-day affairs.
The U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that employee drug use is rising among employers without a drug screening program.
According to the National Drug-Free Workplace Alliance, substance abuse negatively affects industries through lost productivity, workplace incidents, employee absenteeism, and illness. Marijuana is also the most commonly used substance due to widespread availability and legalized recreational use in certain states in the country.
To ensure safe and healthy working conditions
It’s the legal and moral responsibility of the employer to make sure that the workers are provided a safe and healthy working environment. This involves affording the employees with proper health and wellness programs.
Regular medical check-ups and drug screenings can be an approach to the issue. Healthy workers are the best workers, after all. Given cannabis’ availability nowadays, marijuana urine test kits can be an option to combat the negative effects of its abuse in the workplace.
To ensure high productivity in the workforce
Mind-altering illegal substances can have an adverse effect on the morale and productivity of a workforce. Marijuana is classified as such and is proven to have unfavorable effects on a person’s memory, judgment, and coordination. Working under its influence can be disastrous, especially in manufacturing and construction work spaces.
Employers with successful drug-free workplace programs have reported improvements in safety, morale and overall productivity. Even instances of theft and fraud have decreased due to the strategy.
To maintain the business’ good reputation
Brand management is a vital part of a business’ success. It is so important that multinational companies invest inordinate sums of money to make sure that their brand is spotless and always in the spotlight.
Having drug-free working conditions factors into brand consciousness and trust. It’s a clear demonstration of the company’s dedication to worker welfare that the general public will notice.
To keep healthcare costs down by drug testing
It may sound counter-intuitive at first, but investing in a drug-free workplace can lead to lower healthcare costs for the company in the long term.
A drug-addled employee can be a threat to the safety of the other employees. Under the influence, they’re more likely to hurt their fellows compared to clean and sober workers.
Preventing these injury-causing incidents from happening saves the business resources in medical costs, as well as potential litigation fees.
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Wrapping Up
Now, more than ever, employers are moving to protect their businesses from the consequences of substance abuse in the workplace. The strategy is part of the employer’s duty to provide their workers with a safe and healthy working environment. A drug-free workplace also results in higher productivity for the workers.
Ensuring that the workplace is free of drugs can be an expensive proposition. Drug testing can be a costly affair with little short-term benefits for the business. In the long run, however, the company actually gets to save more resources by employing drug-free workplace strategies.
