Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
drug test at the workplace debate
drug test at the workplace debate
effects of drug testing in the workplace
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: drug test at the workplace debate
How far is it permitted for the companies to keep an eye on the workers against drug usage? This could be the very first thing to pop up in the heads of anybody but recently according to surveys, there are 80% of constructing and manufacturing companies that emphasis on this issue often. Employees in most states can sue for excessive intrusion into their private affairs. Employers be it credit unions, must balance employees' privacy rights with continuous efforts to establish a safe, productive, and efficient workplace.
While providing member services it is the foremost duty of every employer to respect employee privacy as well and for this laws generally permit private employers, including credit unions, to monitor or record employees' business calls, evaluate job performance and member service, order employee drug testing, search desks and offices for legitimate business reasons, and release personnel file information on a "need to know" basis to fellow managers or employees, or - with the employee's consent - to third parties.
Reasons could vary according to the company and the atmosphere that could be affecting the workplace badly. According to the same research the employers of the company have better reasons for the drug testing, but they may not always be what you think. For example, employees themselves favor drug testing. This could be surprising but the employers think that these constant checks help their workplace to be a safer place and it reduces the workload that drug abusers shift onto peers and subordinates.
Some of the obvious reasons for drug –testing could be the staggering cost of on-the- job accidents, theft, errors, reduced productivity and increased medical and workers' compensation claims to employers. There are different ways to conduct the drug-testing programs and this could also vary, for example; should you hire a professional to implement your program? Should you do testing yourself, or contract with a local lab? Such relevant questionnaires are answered after depending on the situations on the spot.
An increasing number of construction companies are battling the problem through drug-free workplace policies, employee education, drug testing, employee assistance programs and even undercover drug busts for a better world. Federal laws however prohibit using polygraph tests, voice stress analyzers, and other physiological tests in employment situations.
Situations where such drug tests are allowed are after programs like 1) Planning, 2) Needs Assessment, 3) Policy Development, 4) Employee Education, 5) Supervisor Training and 6) Employee Assistance Program Development.
The ethics of drug testing has become an increased concern for many companies in the recent years. More companies are beginning to use it and more people are starting more to have problems with it. The tests are now more than ever seen as a way to stop the problems of drug abuse in the workplace. This brings up a very large question. Is drug testing an ethical way to decide employee drug use? It is also very hard to decide if the test is an invasion of employee privacy. “The ethical status of workplace drug testing can be expressed as a question of competing interests, between the employer’s right to use testing to reduce drug related harms and maximize profits, over against the employee’s right to privacy, particularly with regard to drug use which occurs outside the workplace.” (Cranford 2) The rights of the employee have to be considered. The Supreme Court case, Griswold vs. Connecticut outlines the idea that every person is entitled to a privacy zone. However this definition covers privacy and protection from government. To work productively especially when the work may be physical it is nearly impossible to keep one’s privacy. The relationship between employer and employee is based on a contract. The employee provides work for the employer and in return he is paid. If the employee cannot provide services because of problems such as drug abuse, then he is violating the contract. Employers have the right to know many things about their employees.
If we don't have an academic degree our privacy gets raped, but if we are able to get a degree America doesn't set up boundaries for us. Although drug testing is an excellent tool to maintain a healthy and safe workplace, it is unfair and unjust to the low wage working class because it targets them. For instance; doctors, surgeons, and even teachers are not required to be drug tested as often as low wage workers.
Drugs are used everyday by people in many different ways for many different reasons. Drug testing has become a standard in pre-employment testing, because of the wide variety of drug use in today's society. Drugs tested for by a possible employer include Cocaine (crack), Amphetamines (crystal), Opiates (codeine, morphine, heroin), PCP (phencyclidine), and Marijuana. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is used to test hair and urine samples of possible drug abusers or job applicants, and it is the best method for the testing of drug use. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are two different methods for identifying chemical substances, and the two instruments have be coupled together to perform a highly complementary analytical function. The gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer have theories behind how their techniques work, and specific forensic applications for their instrumentation.
For many years, there has been an ongoing fight between employers and employees pertaining to employee rights. The main thing that they have fought about is computer and email monitoring.
While employment screening in the healthcare sector is decidedly standard, the law does often not require drug and alcohol testing. Substance abuse is one of the leading causes of disciplinary action against a nursing license in the U.S. Random drug screenings are used to detect the use of unapproved or illegal drugs for the purpose of upholding patient safety (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2006). The American Nurses Association (ANA) estimates that six to eight percent of nurses use alcohol or drugs to a degree that would impair professional judgment (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2011). Approximately one-third of the one percent of actively licensed nurses are disciplined each year for their substance misconduct (Kenward, 2008). Protecting patients from unsafe practices and personnel is the primary responsibility of each supervisory board of nursing. However, the fear of punishment from the board or termination keeps many nurses unwilling to come forward (Maher-Brisen 2007). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the viability of mandating random drug testing for nurses and other health professionals. The objective of this would be to address the rooted issues of substance abuse and decrease the risk of harm to patients under the healthcare provider’s care.
Is it appropriate for employers to test staff for drugs or alcohol? How reliable are these results? Why should some one invade your privacy? Do drug testing determine your skills level for a job? What do drug testing in the work force prove? The arguments against drug testing are it is excessively invasive, may damage relations between employers and employees, and could hamper the recruitment and retention of good staff. In 1986 the Regan administration recommended a drug-testing program for employers. In 1991 The Omnibus Transportation Employee testing act of 1991 were passed. It required mandatory drug testing in trucking and other industries. Over the past 25 years drug testing in the military has increase. Today, approximately 62% of all employers in the US have mandatory drug testing program. Drug testing in the work force have been a very controversial topic ever since. Drug testing should not be in the workplace since it does not measure on the job impairment, do not prevent accidents and is an invasion of privacy.
It is annually estimated that the economic cost alone is $215 billion dollars that are being contributed to drug trafficking in the United States. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy it is projected that nearly $61 billion dollars are being used towards criminal justice such as criminal investigation, prosecution and incarceration, $11 billion dollars are for the healthcare costs as in drug treatment and drug-related medical consequences, $120 billion dollars are lost in productivity, due to the labor participation costs in drug abuse treatment, incarceration and premature death. As stated in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy it is assessed that full-time workers who were on current use of drugs were more likely to miss workdays due to illnesses and injuries. As mentioned i...
In an effort to make drug testing for employees of the federal government more accurate, to deter false positives and false negatives it has been suggested to use alternative methods of testing. The Associated Press reported a movement by the federal government to "overhaul its employee drug testing program". (TAP, pg 1) Currently, the government tests its employees during the pre-employment selection and when accidents
Many people view drug testing in schools as a good aspect of our school systems. Schools require random drug testing for students in sports. These rates show that random drug testing lower illegal substance use. A pro for random drug testing, can be that it helps regulate the use of drugs in our teenagers. If a teenager happens to test positive, the school and parents can take immediate action to stop the problem before it progresses. They can refer the student to a counselor or if needed to a rehab center. If students know they can be randomly tested, they can see this as a sign to get help. Drug testing can make schools safer and also lower the rates of drug use in schools.
Terms and Laws have gradually change overtime dealing with different situations and economic troubles in the world in general. So then dealing with these issues the workplace has become more complex with little or no rights to privacy. Privacy briefly explained is a person’s right to choose whether or not to withhold information they feel is dear to them. If this something will not hurt the business, or its party members then it should be kept private. All employees always should have rights to privacy in the workplace. Five main points dealing with privacy in public/private structured businesses are background checks, respect of off duty activities/leisure, drug testing, workplace search, and monitoring of workplace activity. Coming to a conclusion on privacy, are there any limits to which employers have limitations to intrusion, dominance on the employee’s behavior, and properties.
In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that schools are allowed to drug test students as long as it does not affect them academically. More than 1,000 middle and high schools have chosen to require students to have a drug test administered before they are able to participate in after school activities. If a student’s test results come back positive for the use of drugs, the student is usually banned from extracurricular activities until they participate in counseling and follow up tests (Ballaro and Finley 2). This may seem like an effective way to stop student...
Ms. Gibbs works as a Quality Assurance Officer at Norchem Drug Testing. Norchem’s goal as a company is to provide results to companies who require their employees to be drug tested. If the employee tests positive, then the tests can be used as evidence in a court case. The nail test can reveal long term usage but may not be as reliable. The blood and urine tests are the most commonly used tests and are considered very
Drug abuse and the use of illicit substances is one of the biggest problems that our country faces today. Our youth are being faced with drugs at younger and younger ages. An epidemic has arose with heroin in communities big and small. Community leaders and those in power seem helpless and are constantly trying to find ways to control and stop this crisis. One common proposition is the institution of random drug tests at schools. The goal of these random drug tests is to make students less likely to try drugs or continue doing them if they had been previously. Random drug tests in schools have many positive and negative outcomes and people have very strong opinions on the subject, making it an extremely controversial topic.
When employees get hired, they get a drug test due to the fact that the drug testing can prove if the person they are hiring is a good person for their business. For an example “Approximately eighty-one percent of companies in the United States administer drug testing to their employees.” Drug testing also proves that people who passes it are clean and responsible people who the company can trust on doing their job well done and showing overall percentage of the US using drug testing (Chodorow). People who cheat on a drug test and gets a job will later ruin their job of getting into accidents during working and or start a fight with the boss or coworkers unknowingly just because they were high on drugs. That is why companies strive to do drug tests every time they hire an employee now due to the fact that they don’t want to be reliable for an employee who isn’t responsible and trustworthy of their time at their company. Which it will affect the company financially once employees gets hurt on their job. An employee who is not a drug abuser can really benefit a company by not causing trouble for themselves getting hurt in the company and also the business not being reliable for anything that is caused by the employee; who was not responsible. Another example is that reports confirm that 80% of those injured in “serious drug related accidents are innocent coworkers.” And after it began requiring accidents drug
I. Drug testing is meant to help clean our communities and the schools from drug related problems. Drug testing is an easy yet complicated test for many people. Statistics have shows a dramatic decrease of drug use and abuse in between the years of 2000-2006 (University Services, 2009). The U.K.’s country wide drug testing have helped show scientists all over the world the improvements that drugs testing at schools can make.