Companies should carefully consider their drug testing policies when implementing a drug testing program in the hiring process. Some jurisdictions are now considering limiting any type of drug test to post-offer. One such jurisdiction is Washington D.C.
We have always suggested that testing for the illegal drugs can be performed on a pre-employment basis. Now we must state the caveat that laws of the jurisdiction in which you are operating should be checked. With states and other smaller jurisdictions looking at ban the box legislation for researching criminal convictions, the issue of when to do a drug test is also under review. It now becomes crucial to be aware of any limitations on the timing of a pre-employment drug test in jurisdictions in which your firm operates.
We make researching drug testing laws, and many other employee management issues, easy with our HR360 service. We provide this service free of charge for our valued business associates. Call us at 410.494.0232 or send an email to info@randisiandassociates.com
Some consultants are now recommending a blanket practice of doing all drug tests on a post offer, all the time. We think doing so unnecessarily increases the cost of the interview process. It takes time, energy and resources to vet an individual for entry into your organization. It doesn’t make sense, to us, to expend these precious resources on individuals currently using illegal drugs. Rather, simply consulting the applicable jurisdiction’s regulations in this area. And then adjusting your practices accordingly allows you to save time and money.
Want to make your Drug Free Workplace Policy even more effective. Then consider implementing a random drug testing program. Random drug testing allows an effective and cost-efficient way to implement a drug free workplace policy. Effective because random drug testing yields an approximately 40% increase in finding positives. And random drug testing is cost-efficient because you can be in control of the number of drug tests, unless your firm is governed by Department of Transportation regulations.
And, as with our suggestion above, your firm should consult a particular state’s regulations regarding random drug testing of individuals in your organization. Many states only allow random drug testing for safety-sensitive positions. But, many positions can be safety sensitive. Even if an employee gets in a car to drive means they are in a safety-sensitive position. Safety sensitive can also mean employees that work around or operate machinery.
