Employee Drug Screening to Prevent Drug Abuse at Workplace

Hiring an employee who is reliable and responsible is the key to a company's success. But nowadays appointment of a new employee is no more a simple affair. There was a time when you just need to spot the right person and a quick reference check with the previous employer was enough to verify the credentials of the prospective employee. Nowadays, such a hiring policy may cost your business dearly.

Drug abuse has emerged as a serious problem in the workplace and as an employer you can’t afford to ignore it. According to a study one in 10 employees in the U.S. uses illegal drugs and knows very well how to beat drug tests. Drug prevention experts believepre-employment screeningcan combat the epidemic and ensure better working environment. In a survey conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration nearly 16.4 million Americans use illegal drugs, and most of them hold down full-time jobs.

The number of drug users is highest in foodservice industry closely followed by construction industry. Drugs and alcohol are the major problem faced by employers nowadays. Employee who is used to drugs and alcohol usually does not turn up to work and are more prone to workplace related accidents.

In a recent survey conducted by The Society for Human Resource Management reveals that nearly 90% of HR professionals strictly adhere to extensive background screening of prospective employees. A phenomenal 30% increase from a mere 60% in 1995. The growing trend of employee screening seems warranted as the survey also exposes that almost 42% of job applications contain fictitious or twisted information.

Apart from verifying the credentials of the job applicant and drug screening, background check is needed to unearth any criminal records and history of substance abuse. As an employer either you can conduct an in-house screening or hire the services of a professional background screening company. Most of the companies offer these services at extremely competitive rates and usually offer the report with 2-3 days which enable you to take qualified decisions quickly. The reports are precise and bias-free. Moreover they also guide you through state and federal regulations along with the legalities involved in the process of screening. Hiring the services of professionals is advisable as it will enable you to get the legal immunity in case something goes wrong.

Therefore perform the background and drug screening with due diligence and get rest assured that your employees will be genuine assets to your organizations.