Pros and Cons of Drug Testing Your Employees in the Workplace

Drug testing employees in the workplace can be a valuable tool in detecting and putting a stop to drug use. Now, without further adieu, here are the pros and cons of drug testing your employees in the workplace.

Pros of Drug Testing in the Workplace

Increases Safety: Drug testing in the workplace can make the working environment a much safer place to be.

Reduces Accidents: It has been noted that those under the influence of illicit substances are more likely to cause or be apart of accidents in the workplace. By drug testing, you eliminate or greatly reduce the incidence of accidents on the job.

Helps Drug Abusers: Many drug abusers are addicted to substances and need help. By enforcing drug testing in the workplace, you can catch someone’s drug problem before they further hurt themselves or others.

Cons of Drug Testing in the Workplace

Invasion of Privacy: Random drug testing in the workplace allows an employer the option of requiring a person to submit to drug tests if they wish to keep their jobs. Some consider this requirement to be an invasion of personal privacy and to be discriminatory against employees.

Costly: Drug testing can be quite an expensive endeavor, especially if you have a large company.

Could Be Unconstitutional: Along with being an invasion of privacy, drug testing in the workplace may be unconstitutional. While no rulings have been made on the subject as of yet, many groups feel random drug testing violates an individuals personal rights and freedoms.

This article is prepared by Christy Berger who writes for TestCountry.com . You can find a longer version of this article at Pros and Cons of Drug Testing Your Employees in the Workplace. The main resource of this article is the white paper at Creating a Drug Testing Program .