Are you thinking of pursuing drug testing employees at your business? Not sure how that process works, or if there are any privacy concerns or hidden costs you should be aware of?
In this article, we’re covering everything you need to know about drug testing employees, including the when, where, and how, behind it. With this information, you’ll be able to decide if drug testing employees is the right decision for your business, and if so, how to best do it.
What You Need to Know About Drug Testing Employees
When it comes to drug testing employees, there is a range of testing options available. Here are the four most common sample types you can collect when performing drug testing.
Hair Testing
Are you worried employees may only temporarily quit drugs just to pass their drug tests? If so, you may want to go with hair drug testing. This option is incredibly effective at detecting long-term drug use, so you’ll be able to determine if employees have been engaging in drug use well before the test.
This testing option is a bit expensive though and requires a sizable amount of hair to perform, so it may not be suited for employees with short or no hair. It also most likely pick up on drug use done within the last week, so it’s not suitable for short-term analysis.
Urine Testing
If you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive way to collect samples, go with urine testing. It’s the least invasive of drug testing options and is very effective at detecting recent drug use.
It’s important to know, however, that this option cannot determine the level of drugs present in someone’s system. So, you won’t be able to make as thorough an evaluation.
Saliva Testing
Saliva drug tests are slightly more expensive than urine tests but are actually slightly more effective. And they’re easy to collect! They do require more processing in the lab to ensure accuracy, so expect a bit longer of a turnaround for this option.
Blood Testing
This option is most often reserved for legal investigations rather than employment scenarios. That’s because it’s more invasive and expensive and is generally required to be done in a medical setting. It is highly accurate though.
When to Drug Test Employees
The second most important part of drug testing employees is determining when to do so.
Once you’ve decided on testing and which method you’d like to use, it’s time to choose when to test. There are many times you could test, but some time periods make more sense than others.
Many employers use a drug test as a hiring contingency to ensure in advance that their employees are clean. Other employers only institute this policy when they have reasonable suspicion about an employee’s potential drug habits or want to rule out drug abuse following a workplace incident.
Are you worried about employees remaining drug-free throughout their entire employment? You can also do random drug testing to encourage drug prevention.
Final Thoughts on Drug Testing
Do you need to know that your employees are drug-free when doing their job? If so, drug testing employees is the right route to go! By implementing a testing policy, you can rest easy knowing your workplace is safer and more productive because of it.
Did you find the information in this article helpful? Check out the rest of our website for important insights and tips!
