The hiring process is an extremely critical component of a workplace that can potentially affect every level of a company. Pre-employment drug testing can play a vital role in making sure that not only does the right personal get the job, but no time, money, or other resources are wasted on the wrong people. Include a notice of drug testing on your job applications.
One of the most important aspects of running a successful business is operational efficiency. It extends through every level of a company’s infrastructure, from the way the computer network is maintained to the system of management used to organize employees. However, there is one area that has, in recent years, grown in importance, and that is hiring.
When there’s an absence in an important position, work suffers. When a new person is hired, resources have to be diverted for orientation or training, if it’s required. And if an employee resigns or is dismissed, this creates another hole that makes work challenging for everyone.
This is why, now, more than ever, hiring the right person is an incredibly important aspect of management. The last thing any company wants is an employee holding onto the job for some critical period of time, only to create more problems with their inevitable dismissal. Often when hiring a liability you end up owning that liability.
For federally mandated employers testing for illicit drugs is required for pre employment testing. The types of drug testing required for Federal and DOT programs are:
- Marijuana metabolites/THC
- Cocaine metabolites
- Amphetamines (including methamphetamine, MDMA)
- Opioids* (including codeine, heroin (6-AM), morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, and oxymorphone)
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
The above 5 panel drug screen is also common for non regulated employers.
National Drug Screening provides pre-employment drug screening to companies nationwide. We have over 3000 locations that offer instant (POCT) drug testing for employers throughout the United States. Negative results can be provided on the same day and can easily be accessed online. Contact National Drug Screening to learn more about how you can set up pre-employment drug testing as part of your workplace drug testing program.
Why Pre-Employment Drug Screening Matters
A person’s private life is their own affair, there’s no argument about that. However, when private activities begin to interfere with professional obligations, then it becomes a problem not just for the individual, but for the organization that individual is affiliated with.
Pre-employment drug screening is one of the best ways to keep problems from ever occurring in the first place. It is an effective, front-line defensive and preventive measure to ensure that a working, efficient, established system in a workplace continues to operate that way without disruption.
Depending on the nature of your business, there are three types of drug and alcohol testing available.
Urine testing is the most common form of testing and is also approved for safety-sensitive positions. Urine testing allows employers to have a consistent screening program for potential employees, regardless of State or Federal regulations.
Hair follicle testing, while more expensive, is becoming a more popular choice for employers who are not only hiring for safety-sensitive positions, but want the ability to detect drug use in the last 90 days. Hair testing is more difficult to cheat than urine drug testing and there are a variety of panels that can be chosen and used in combination with alcohol testing.
Oral fluid testing is also becoming more popular because it requires the specimen collection to be observed, making it nearly impossible for an applicant to cheat. The downside of oral fluid testing is the detection time is much lower than urine or hair testing. While it isn’t always the best option for pre-employment screening, it can be the pefect choice for reasonable suspicion and post accident testing.
Benefits of Pre-Screening Potential Employees for Drugs and Alcohol
An established, scrupulously applied pre-employment drug testing program can help a company for the following reasons:
DETERRENCE
With an active, publicly disclosed drug and alcohol screening policy in place, companies can prevent many problem employees from even applying at a job in the first place. If a potential employee is a regular drug user, than the prospect of having to stop using drugs for week — or even up to 90 days with hair sample testing — just for the sake of one interview is unlikely to apply for the job. Many undesirables remove themselves from the equation without your company needing to do anything other than make it very clear the testing policy exists.
MORALE
Both employees within your company and the public at large will enjoy a boost in morale and confidence from knowing this kind of drug testing policy is in place. Employees know that the people they work with are reliable and clear headed with no impaired judgment or work quality due to substance abuse. The public at large sees the policy as a commitment to both safety and responsibility, which gives any company a welcome boost in public relations and confidence.
SAFETY
Recurring use of drugs in a workplace affects not just the individual but everyone in the company. Poor performance and inefficiency are the best case scenarios in such a situation, but chronic absenteeism can also be another unwelcome result of this. According to the US Department of Justice, a study conducted found that 50% of the accidents that occurred in a workplace involved drug use. Perhaps even more alarmingly, 40% of the cases of theft that occur in the workplace are motivated by drug use. All of this has a huge impact both on workplace efficiency and morale.
Implement a Pre-Employment Drug Testing Program With the Help of National Drug Screening
National Drug Screening offers a full suite of drug testing services for your workplace. We can configure our 10 panel drug tests to screen for any substances you deem a higher priority for your needs. Once urine samples have been collected, they can be sent to our SAMHSA certified lab for laboratory testing and then the lab data is sent on to our experienced Medical Review Officers (MRO) to screen for the use of drugs within a one week time frame of consumption.
If you’re interested in more detailed information, we also offer a hair sample testing procedure that can screen subjects for drug use up to 90 days from when the test was administered. Our hair testing is available in configurations of 5 panel, 9 panel and 12 panel hair drug test and also with expanded opiates.
If you want to ensure that no disruptive or dangerous employees are mistakenly hired for your workplace, contact us about our pre-employment drug testing procedures. Our services are nationwide and include electronic ordering drug tests in any area of the United States. You’ve worked hard to make your company a safe and efficient place for your employees. Let our tests protect and preserve that effort.
Order a test online or give us a call at (866) 843-4545.
