Anibal Rodriguez
Employment Drug Testing
Drugs in the United States are a major concerned in the workplace. Governmental agencies, Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations in the private sector have been struggling with ways to deal with the problem. The primary objectives for these agencies and organizations are to be productive, to function in the best possible manner without wasting time and effort, and to provide a healthy and safe environment in the workplace. The ongoing drug use by workers in our nation creates a problem for employers, consumers, and other workers. I am going to discuss the brief history of employment drug testing, types of drug testing, legal issues that addressed employment drug testing, and some pros and cons of drug testing in the workplace.
Employers have taken the task of using drug testing in the workplace because of the growing number of accidents, absenteeism, and health and safety problems. These create poor performance and a less productive, profitable company. Employment drug testing puts employers in a collision with employees that feel that their personal privacy is being violated. Employees are afraid of how far an employer will go to check on their behavior in the workplace and possibly outside based on their occupation. Employees are also afraid of being suspended and terminated for a drug test, and employers are afraid of a law suit over an error in the testing, privacy matter issues, or any other violations. Some employers will look the other way as long as the company is doing well financially.
There are two basic incentives for employment drug testing. One is to increase organizational efficiency and productivity by reducing accidents, absenteeism, and safety concerns. A second goal involves the idea that drug testing will help in dealing with an increase of drug use in the workplace attacking the overall use of drugs in the United States. Employers accept the idea that drug testing...