Should Drug testing or pre-employment drug testing be allowed at workplace?

Should Drug testing or pre-employment drug testing be allowed at workplace?

Taking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and smoking Marijuana has become a common thing in today’s world. Earlier employees used to just smoke cigarettes in lunch break or take a break during office hours. But now things are changing. Employees come to work place under the influence of drugs. Smoking Cigarettes can be controlled as it is visible but how can the employers keep a check on drug intake. Many employers have even started for pre-employment drug testing. Should drug testing or pre-employment drug testing should be allowed at workplace?

Yes

• Pre-employment drug testing will allow the employers to know about the habits of candidates and accordingly they can recruit them.

• Drug testing as well as drug screening will allow the employers to have a proper risk control plan at work place.

• Employees who work under the influence of drugs not only are a threat to them but also can pose threat to other people’s lives especially in some specific jobs like driver or pilot.

• Drug testing helps to eliminate a number of problems like absenteeism, high turnover rate, employee theft and others.

• Employers have got a reputation in industry and it can suffer if employees under drug influence delivers poor performance. Low productivity hampers growth of organization.

• Knowing that they will have to undergo a drug test and may loose the job if found positive, many employees might abstain themselves from taking drugs.

No

• It will make no sense as the people who occasionally take drug know when to go for drug tests for negative results.

• It will just bring extra cost to the company as it cannot keep a check on employees every time by drug testing.

• Random drug testing cannot be followed as it can hurt the employees’ morale that are not at fault and can affect the productivity.

• It is the invasion of the privacy of the employees by forcing them to opt for the drug testing at regular intervals.

• Pre-employment drug testing can hurt the self-respect of certain people and they will refrain from joining such organizations.

Conclusion

Drugs are a fatal thing that can cause risk to lives and property at a same time. If the risk is limited to the user, it is the other thing. But when the employee uses the drug at work place or comes for work under the drug influence, it can create numerous problems for the employers and the organization. It is ok to demand for the laws that allows for the compulsory drug testing at the work place.