Last updated : December 23, 2024
Businesses that create drug-free environments report better employee attendance, productivity and morale. They also have fewer workplace accidents, fewer incidents of theft and lower rates of employee turnover. By all indications, drug-testing programs could lead to better financial results and healthier, happier workers.
Employers who require drug-testing before they hire are secure in knowing they’ve chosen the very best candidate for the position. They needn’t worry about potential problems with job performance, health risks to other workers or theft.
Random testing for existing employees, aside from being a strong deterrent to drug use, also has many advantages.
Sober employees rarely miss work. Out of respect for their employers or out of personal pride—or both—they commit to arriving rested, prepared and on time. They have greater concentration and can readily respond to suggestions or instructions. Good employees set challenging goals and work well with others to achieve them.
Misbehavior by a few employees can deal a harsh blow to company morale. Hard workers resent peers who are consistently late, frequently hungover or using on the job. They resent the extra work they may have to take on and the lack of teamwork. Many workers find it awkward to report drug behavior and therefore suffer in silence. In some lines of work, like transportation or factory assembly, employees may be fearful for their own safety.
There is good reason for such fear: According to the National Safety Council, 80 percent of drug-related accidents on the job injure not the users, but innocent coworkers.
A nationwide survey conducted by the federal government in 2012 found that 74 percent of all adult drug abusers have jobs. At best, substance abusers tend to be late, absent, unproductive, tired and inconsistent. At worst, they make the workplace hazardous for themselves and others. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that one out of every six workplace fatalities is drug- or alcohol-related; in industrial fields, the figure is 40 percent.
Furthermore, drug users are expensive. Eighty percent steal from their bosses to support their habits. They are far more likely than non-users to take sick days, use their own health insurance and file workers’ compensation claims. On average, drug abusers miss five workdays per month. Taking into account absences, time off for accidents, insurance costs and workers’ compensation awards, it is estimated that drug addicts cost U.S. employers between $7,000 and $9,000 annually. For many businesses, numbers like those could mean the difference between success and failure; it would be far less costly in the long run to invest in a drug-testing system.
Small businesses that don’t implement drug-testing are especially vulnerable. Most large corporations now test as a matter of course; problem candidates, knowing they can’t pass and have little chance of being hired, try to get on at smaller firms. By the time their habits are detected, they’re already on the payroll. When drug use is overlooked or tolerated, valuable employees start looking for work elsewhere. No one wants to work side-by-side with an addict.
Given the competitive nature of modern business, the heightened pressure to keep the best people and deliver on the bottom line, drug-testing makes good business sense.
