When we talk about drug testing, our immediate thought is government and public officials who undergo drug tests. After all, government officials are our servants, and they need to serve the public with honesty, loyalty, and integrity. But how about private institutions and companies? Often, we shun away from this highly sensitive issue with our employees. We often worry that we may be violating their rights or simply insulting their feelings by doing it.
However, you may want to reconsider your decision to drop this issue with your employees. Otherwise, your business operations might be at stake later if you don’t have them drug tested.
Here are our five reasons on why you should conduct drug testing on your employees.
Productivity
When your employee is high on drugs, there is a significant change in their performance and productivity. They often fail to beat the deadline, or if not, they give an incomplete output. It’s because of drugs that they cannot concentrate on what they’re doing. Remember that any unproductivity even with just one employee can be detrimental to your business operations.
Besides, your employee might influence their co-workers into taking drugs. Can you imagine what would happen if they got affected too? The unproductivity would multiply tenfold, and it would create a chain reaction that can halt your business operations altogether.
Safety
May we also remind you that unproductivity is not the only thing at stake in your company. We all know that when employees are addicted to drugs, they become physical, mentally, and emotionally unstable. They cannot distinguish the right from wrong. These employees feel powerful and invincible, and that they can do anything. That alone is extremely dangerous.
At any moment, your drug-using employee can go berserk or rampant, which can impact on the coworker’s performance. Your other employees, including you, may become afraid to associate with the addict for safety reasons, affecting teamwork. Just like #1, it can significantly affect your company’s productivity and probably halt its operations.
Integrity
Let’s take it that already you signed an agreement or company policy contract with your employees. They took an oath not to take drugs. However, you have no way of knowing whether they’re lying or not. There’s a possibility that they’re taking drugs under your wing. They may be taking drugs during off-hours without you knowing it. What do you think will happen if he becomes rogue and uncontrolled?
Besides, your employees’ failure is also your failure, whether you like it or not. The image of your employee also reflects the kind of business you have. Your employee’s attitude reflects on how well you manage the internal affairs of your company. Therefore, having a drug addiction scandal can discourage your investors and customers from trusting your brand. Your affected employee might be the sole reason for your the failure of your business.
Health Care
As a legitimate company, it is important to follow and abide by the rules and regulations. One of them is to ensure our employees have the privilege of health care. It is mandatory to exercise safety measures to guarantee our employee’s well-being. If possible, we also have to give them some health insurance.
As much as we may want to give health insurance to each employee, it might backfire on us in the long run. That’s especially so if you are dealing with an employee who is addicted to drugs. The medical expenses and rehabilitation services are more expensive than for a typical employee. This might cause an imbalance in the privilege and benefits you’re giving to your employees.
Intervention
By submitting your employees to regular drug testing, you’re not really just doing this for the sake of your business. More importantly, you’re helping your employees to stay on the right path. This will assist them to take a straight path in life. If they encounter some problems, you can help them by referring them to your company’s guidance counselor, HR, or a psychologist. This will help them gather the courage and strength to face problems rather than resorting to the use of drugs.