Know About Pre-employment Drug Screening

Pre-employment drug screening is a part of recruitment process. It is conducted to maintain a productive and healthy workforce. This enhances the productivity and profitability of the organization. Pre-employment drug testing includes drug testing on job applicants prior to joining an organization. However, they are performed based on regulations of state and federal laws. Different states have different drug screening laws.

Employees consuming drugs frequently are regularly absent for work. This affects individual and company productivity. Drug abused employees are also responsible for many conflict, injuries, and accidents at workplaces. Safety of surrounding employees also gets affected by such people. So it is better to avoid hiring drug abused people than controlling them after hiring.

Marijuana, cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), barbiturates, and opiates are some of the drugs tested in pre-employment drug screening. Some companies also test for alcohol consumption as a part of drug screening process. Samples such as urine, hair, saliva, and blood are taken from job applicants for conducting tests. Many drug test kits are used by companies for conducting pre-employment drug screening. Applicants who turn positive in these tests are not hired by the organization. It is better to avoid presence of drug abused people at workplaces.

Pre-employment drug screening has many advantages. Some of them are:

• Workplace Safety
• Effective Hiring Decision Making
• Reduction of Absenteeism
• Increased Productivity
• Reduction of Health Benefit Utilization Costs

Pre-employment drug screening thus helps in maintaining integrity, discipline, and professionalism at workplace. It also helps in saving costs which are lost in employee health care and compensation given to drug abusing employees. Pre-employment drug screening thus ensures effective work environment.