Aurico has spoken to many companies regarding random drug testing. Often, they have a pre-employment drug testing program but do not institute an ongoing random testing program. Reasons range from cost containment to “big brother” to “we already addressed this at time of hire.” In any of these cases, random testing is not designed to “catch” people abusing drugs—it’s a tool that can help employees make better choices.
The fact is, people change. When you do a pre-employment drug test, you’ve done your due diligence in trying to keep abusers out of your workforce. But that employee may experience some financial or personal situation that creates an opportunity for escape. Some people turn to drugs. If you do pre-employment testing and nothing further, you are doing a disservice to your organization.
The most recent Quest Diagnostics Drug Test index bears this out. It found that in pre-employment drug testing, the general workforce has a 3.6% positive rate. This same index found that in random testing and in post-accident testing, the general workforce had a 5.3% positive rate. This is notably higher than the pre-employment rate. Aurico has found that the average age of the individual testing positive is over 40 years old. We have learned that adults are also subject to peer pressure the same as teenagers. This is where random testing has a positive effect on your workforce.
Random testing is a tool to help employees make better choices when faced with either pressure to escape reality or from their peers. By having a random testing program in place, your employee is reminded that drugs are not an option. Random testing can also help the employee rebuff peer pressure by blaming their employer’s random testing program for refusing to partake in drug use. We cannot predict who will become an addict, but we can say that if your employees do not start they will not become addicts. A recent SHRM/DATIA study found a dramatic 50% increase in productivity in companies that instituted random drug testing.
Learn more about Aurico and our drug screening programs. http://www.aurico.com/Drug_Testing/
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