Last updated : November 18, 2024
Employers who are focused on creating a safe, productive environment in their facility may understandably be concerned about employees who they believe use drugs or who consume alcohol excessively. The fact is that many individuals may participate in activities related to the consumption of drugs or alcohol while away from work, but these activities may interfere with their ability to complete their responsibilities at work. Some may use them during work hours. Some of these substances may excite or depress an individual, and some may affect or alter mood. It is generally not suitable for an employer to specifically target one or several individuals, so it may be more effective to institute a random drug testing policy.
With random drug testing, you essentially tell your employees that they will be pulled aside randomly from time to time, and they are required to submit a sample to be tested. The random nature of the process means that several individuals may be tested at one time without cause. No individuals will be pinpointed or targeted based on specific behaviors or activities, but all may be tested at any given time. This creates a fair process for testing without requiring your company to pay for testing for all employees regularly. Furthermore, employees know that they could be tested at any time, and this alone may be enough reason for them to curb their behavior if they use drugs or consume alcohol in a manner that may impact work performance.
If you make the decision to begin a random drug testing procedure, you may think about utilize a mobile drug testing service. You can contract the service provider to visit your facility on specific dates that will not be revealed to your employees, and this means that you can enjoy on-site testing with minimal interruption to the individuals’ work activities.