Steps to Creating A Drug-Free Workspace
In today’s society, drugs are being found and used in the workplace at a skyrocketing rate. This can lead to possible injuries, absenteeism in employees, and financial loss or fraud. These possible outcomes are employer’s worst nightmare and should be avoided at all costs to a company. The problem is that not all businesses have a program in place to maintain a drug-free work environment and that leads to more employees slipping through while abusing. The good news is that it only takes a few steps to create this type of space and making a safer, more efficient work environment for everyone.
Rewriting Company Policy
One of the first steps necessary for implementing a drug-free policy in your work environment is rewriting your company’s policy to include a section on drug abuse in the workplace. Sitting down with your business’s attorney and writing up the policies you want to have in place for keeping the workplace safe is essential to creating this type of environment. You will want to include: what is allowed/not allowed, consequences, the implementation of drug testing, etc. Once you sit down with company’s lawyer, you can collaborate in the direction you want to head in.
Employee Education
Any company changes have to be communicated to the people that effect, one of the biggest groups to address in this situation are your employees. Confusion always comes with change, and you as the employer want to ensure that everyone is on board with these new policies. By addressing your employees about the change in policies and future drug testing, they will have the opportunity to ask questions. This way all employees are well aware of the policies and actions taken if failing any given drug test occurs. This sets an all-around company standard for employees to follow.
Testing to Ensure Policies are Followed
Administering drug tests to employees are a major component of ensuring that a drug-free workplace is maintained by all employees. Although there are warning signs that come with someone who is abusing drugs, a drug test is the best possible procedure to take to ensure that no one slips through the cracks. Employees will be required to participate to ensure that they are not partaking in any drug activity in or out of the workplace. Employers will be able to confidently operate within their business knowing that all employees are 100% every day when reporting for duty.
Operating a business without a drug policy in place is risky, and employers should work diligently on putting one in place. As an employer, you will be able to ensure that the workplace is safe, and operations are running efficiently. No business wants the possibility of on the job accidents due to drug use or a loss of productivity and by taking these steps towards putting a drug policy in place, your business is moving into the right direction of operating at 100%.
Tags: drug test, employees, policy, corporate drug testing
