Last updated : November 18, 2024
Employee drug testing policies are important for the productivity of almost any company. Some businesses, especially small businesses, believe that what their employees do on their own time is their own business. It’s difficult for business owners who have never done drugs to understand exactly how badly drug use can affect employee productivity. Different drugs have different effects on both recreational and long-term users, and can affect employees even when they’re not actively using them.
Marijuana is the drug most commonly used by employees, and many people don’t see it as very harmful. It is not physically addictive, though some studies have shown it to be psychologically addictive. If this drug is used while at the office, it can cause many intoxication effects similar to alcohol, such as delayed reaction time and confusion. While this may not be terrible for an office worker, it can be very dangerous for someone working with heavy machinery, or someone who has to drive in the course of their work. In the event that an employee injures someone else in the course of their duties and the company was not drug testing their employees it can open up the company towards liabilities. While this is not a hard drug, it has been seen to cause a lack of motivation and sometimes even depression in people. This can directly lead to poor work performance.Amphetamines are very popular with younger generations, and are often considered a party drug. Amphetamines keep people up for large periods of time, which allows them to be out and have fun for longer. The use of these drugs can lead to paranoia, irritability, hallucinations, and symptoms similar to that of schizophrenia. These drugs can be addictive, and if done at work can have significant effects on performance. A worker on amphetamines might be very efficient and fast at their work at first, but later may start to believe all the other employees are plotting against them, or that they are being talked about behind their back. People on these drugs also usually crash following usage, which may lead to taking unnecessary sick days.
Heroin initially gives users a very powerful high, but eventually leads them towards developing a very strong dependency. There are many who say an addiction to this substance is the worst possible addiction there is. Heroin use may not directly affect the worker’s job if the worker is using it only to relieve their addiction and not to get high, but an addiction to this substance is not sustainable. This drug is very expensive, and the users crave it constantly. That means that this drug very often will lead its users to crime, and this crime could directly relate to the employee’s company. If the user is using the drug to get high, they may often lose consciousness, otherwise known as nodding out. This can lead to lost work and time.
Cocaine use is similar to heroin in that some of the problems that it presents are financial ones. Cocaine is also an expensive habit, which can often lead its users to criminal acts. It’s also an upper, that can lead to paranoid and aggressive behavior. While it was often used to increase employee productivity in the past, when abused this drug can lead to irritable and unpredictable employees.
Ecstasy is a drug that many business owners may be surprised to know that a lot of their employees are doing. Ecstasy has recently come back into popularity as a party drug. When used, this substance makes the users feel extremely happy and carefree. Since these effects only last 3-5 hours, users of this drug believe that it’s as harmless as alcohol. However, long-term use of this drug creates depression, paranoia, and wild mood swings. It also affects concentration and severely reduces memory retention. Worse, this drug usually sends users into a deep depression about 3-4 days after use. This will often lead to workers calling in sick after a weekend of abusing the drug, and the workers themselves may never connect the dots because of the delayed reaction.
Drug testing for most companies is a very good idea. Even though employees have their own free time, drug use on any level will affect their job performance. Many employees do not realize how much of an effect on their work their party drugs have. This necessitates action by the company to make sure that their company is performing as well as it can.
