Return-To-Duty Drug Testing and Second Chances
Keeping the work place a safe and efficient environment is necessary for any business. As an employer, it is vital to keep employees safe and working in a productive space to ensure that the business can grow successfully. Second chances are a great way to show that, as a business, you care for your employees and that you are willing to be fair in instances of mistakes. It is human nature for people to make a mistake or two, and employees who have used drugs in the workplace are no exception. We all fall once or twice, and it is important that employees know their employers are behind them when they do. A return-to-duty drug test is useful to show this support while also keeping your business a safe place to work.
When an employee is caught using drugs or discloses that they have an issue with drugs, it is important that as their employer you are there for them and see that they receive the necessary help to overcome these obstacles. If an employee is looking to move forward from these issues and receive help through rehab, employers should stand behind them while they receive treatment. When an employer stands behind their employee receiving treatment for a drug problem, it shows that employee that they care and are willing to work with them through this problem. After an employee successfully finishes their program and the employer is willing to bring them back, it is vital that the employee receives a return-to-duty drug test to show they are fit to return to the workplace. By drug testing an employee who is returning to the workplace after receiving treatment, you can confidently bring them back into the environment and know that they are on the right path to recovery.
It may seem like a black and white situation when an employee is caught with drugs in their system. Your first reaction could be to just let them go and wash your hands of it, but good help is hard to find these days. Everyone deserves a second chance and choosing to let an employee go receive the help they need, then drug testing them upon their return to duty can be a lot more beneficial instead of an automatic termination. Now, these situations can vary from business to business. If your workplace is potentially hazardous, then there is no margin for error, and the risk of keeping someone with a history of using drugs should be completely avoided. Giving employees a second chance after being caught abusing drugs is entirely up to the employer’s discretion but for the ones that choose to support an employee after they have made a mistake, return-to-duty drug testing is an essential tool to protecting both parties. Drugs are a growing problem in the workplace, and it is the responsibility of employers to maintain work environments that are safe to be in. A return-to-duty drug test helps keep this statement true.
Tags: drug test, corporate drug testing, return to duty, second chance
