If you own a business, you may be debating whether or not you should drug test your employees and/or drug test potential employees who you are considering hiring. Learning the pros and cons of doing so will help you decide which is the better option for you. Here are a few of those pros and cons.
Cons of Drug Testing Your Employees:
It Can be Costly
One of the downsides of drug testing all your employees is that it can be costly. As a small business, you may not have the extra money to pay for this. And as a large business, it can get pricey fast having each and every potential employee tested. When you are thinking about drug testing your employees, you will want to work with the same company, as they often offer discounts for companies that do business with them often. Also, consider whether you prefer urine or hair tests. They have pros and cons associated with them, but urine tends to be cheaper than hair drug tests.
Some Employees Feel it Invades Their Privacy
Another downside is some employees will not work for a company that has them drug tested, even if they are not users. They feel it invades their privacy and they do not want to give a sample of their urine or hair. As such, you can miss out on a great employee if you come across employees who value their privacy over your right to drug test.
The Laws Regarding Marijuana Use a Murky
The last downside to drug testing your employees is that the most commonly found drug detected during a drug test is marijuana. However, using marijuana is currently against the federal law, but may be legal based on state law. Because of this conflict, it is unclear if you can fire employees who are smoking marijuana in their free time. If you do so, they may be able to file a wrongful termination suit against you.
Pros of Drug Testing Your Employees:
You Can Avoid Hiring Drug Users
The biggest benefit to drug testing your employees is that you avoid hiring drug users. Drug users can be unreliable, have mood swings and may steal from your business. Many have a difficult time holding down a job as they lose track of time. You likely don’t have time to hire an employee, train them and then have to let them go because they stopped showing up or were constantly late. Drug testing potential employees helps you to avoid this outcome.
It May Help Reduce Your Business Auto Insurance Rates
If your employees drive company cars as part of their job, you may be able to get a reduction in your business auto insurance rates if you can prove to the insurance company that you drug screen employees operating the cars on a regular basis. This is because the insurance company’s liability is reduced if the person driving is not impaired in any way. As such, the auto insurance rate reduction may help to offset the increased cost of drug testing each and every employee, making it more feasible for your business.
It Can Help Reduce Your Business Liability
The last benefit to drug testing employees is that it reduces liability to your business. If a drug user is employed at your business, and they are experiencing a mood swing, they may lash out at a customer or become violent. Or they may drive impaired and hit someone while conducting company business. Or they may do something stupid in your warehouse and injure a co-worker. In any case, a lawsuit can be brought against your business for their actions. It is your responsibility to ensure your employees are acting in a reasonable manner when they are employed by you and on the clock. If you fail to make this happen, you are the one who can be sued and it can financially hurt your business or cause you financial ruin.
If you are interested in obtaining pre-employment drug testing or both pre-employment and random drug testing, click here. We can help you learn more about drug testing and help you ensure your employees have a clean and safe lab to visit when submitting a sample.