SHRM poll show more employers practicing drug testing

Drug Testing Efficacy – of 1,058 randomly selected HR professionals examines employers’ drug testing policies and practices. Among other findings:

  • The majority of organizations (72 percent) with multinational operations reported that all, almost all or some of the same protocols and policies are applied on drug testing employees outside of the United States
  • Drug tests are not common for existing employees. Nearly two-thirds of organizations (64 percent) do not conduct post-employment drug tests on existing employees
  • When employers do post-employment drug tests, the most common tests are post-accident testing (51 percent), random testing (47 percent), and reasonable suspicion testing (35 percent)
  • Most employers (77 percent) conduct drug testing at off-site drug testing facilities only, while 16 percent conducting drug tests both in-house and off-site
The poll also found that some employers noticed an impact on employee productivity, absenteeism and workers compensation incidence rates after implementing drug testing programs.
  • A fifth of organizations (19 percent) reported seeing an improvement in productivity
  • Four percent after of employers said they had high absenteeism rates (more than 15 percent) after implementing drug testing programs compared to 9 percent before beginning programs, a decrease of more than 50 percent
  • Six percent of organizations saw workers’ compensation incidence rates of more than 6 percent after implementing programs compared to 14 percent before starting drug testing programs, a decrease of more than 50 percent
  • For employers with drug testing programs, 16 percent reported a decrease in employee turnover rates, while 8 percent reported an increase, after the implementation of a drug testing program
“Cost, logistics and consideration for candidates influence when drug tests are given,” said Richard Jordan, a member of SHRM’s Staffing and Talent Management Expertise Panel. “If used, it’s typically at the pre- or post-offer stages as part of the pre-employment verification process, depending on each organization’s policy and standard procedures.” What can we take from this? Drug testing in the workplace should be an integral part of any business. Sources – Society for Human Resource Management and Employment Law Daily]]>

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