Addiction to alcohol and drugs is one of the vices troubling our society today. The fact that addiction doesn’t discriminate tells us that anybody regardless of class and status can be affected by these vices in one way or the other. You must not necessarily be an addict to be affected by this deadly habit. The habit of drinking and the constant use of drugs by employees affect the productivity of the working class. As a result, this leads to a negative impact on many businesses today.
Most employers visualize the wrong picture of addicts in their minds. They usually discern drug and alcohol addicts to be poor, homeless, and unemployed. But the fact remains that around 23.1 million persons around the world are battling with addiction. A percentage of which includes employees and workers in various companies and industries.
Before we proceed, we need to fully understand what drug and alcohol testing are, and why it is important for the employer. Drug and alcohol testing is the measure an employer uses to check their employee for drug and alcohol consumption. Through this method, the employer will be aware of which employee recently used or consumed alcohol or drugs. But before an employer can carry out this test, certain rules and guidelines are to be followed.
As an employer, it is important that your employees undergo alcohol and drug testing. This should be done in order to get the best out of every individual working under you. If you want to give this a trial, check out Nationwide Testing Center for help.
Now, let’s take a look at some importance and benefits of conducting a substance addiction test.
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Importance and Benefits of Alcohol and Drug Testing
Here are some benefits of these drug testing:
Job Applicants can be Tested Before Hiring
Job applicants can be tested for drugs and alcohol addiction before hiring. This is an advantage to the employers because not only would the most capable person be chosen for the job; but one with stable mental health. This helps the employer avoid the problem of employing an individual with drug or alcohol addiction issues.
It Provides a Safer Working Environment
One of the most important things during job activities is that a safe environment is provided for both the employers and the employees. This should be very crucial for hazardous jobs. Laborers most especially should be tested for the use of drugs and alcohol. This is because they work with heavy machinery and chemicals.
Individuals who get intoxicated can harm themselves, their fellow workers, and destroy properties. Carelessness by addicts can also lead to injuries, deaths, losses, and even defamation of such companies or industries. It is important that these workers are tested to avoid damages and losses in the future.
Increases Individual Quality and Performance
The use of drugs by individuals leads to depression and other anxiety issues. This causes underperformance of such individuals. So when such individuals are tested for drugs and alcohol abuse, they can easily be picked out and treated. This will increase the performance of such workers and other employees, and as a result, yield better output to such industry or company. For further information on how this testing does this, check here:https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-drug-testing-employees-21259.html
Reduces Conflicts and Misunderstandings in an Organization
People who tend to abuse alcohol and drugs are most likely to behave more aggressively and violently. They tend to misunderstand statements and actions from other employees and workers easily. This is because the substance they abuse makes them easily agitated and provoked. When such persons are tested and removed from the mix, it will help the organization to avoid addiction related/caused conflicts.
It Improves The Health Of The Workers
The abuse of addictive substances leads to deterioration in the health of workers. This will lead to certain health issues and implications such as kidney damages, cardiovascular problems, liver damages, and neurological issues. So individuals in the organization with such addictions problems will be picked out and be treated leading to a better and healthy working environment.
Boosts Workers Morales
When employees see the concern of the employers to stop and reduce the abuse of substances such as cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. This gives the employees a certain boost in confidence because they feel that the employers care about the well-being and welfare of the staff.. It will also lead to good performance and productivity.
Difference Between DOT and NON-DOT Testing
The programs mostly available for drug and alcohol testing are DOT and NON-DOT testing. DOT is an abbreviation for the department for transport. This is a department of the US government which is responsible for the nation’s transportation programs. The department oversees the various transportation systems in the nation.
Monitoring the abuse of drugs and alcohol by employees who undertake such jobs is the priority of the DOT. This program by the government ensures that employees with sensitive jobs in transportation are monitored and given guidelines against the use of addictive substances. Employees with such sensitive jobs should be made to undergo such a program and must be made a requirement by the employer.
NON-DOT are for employees who do not hold crucial jobs. The regulations of the DOT do not hold for employees with such jobs. So employees who just drive company vehicles without the transportation of cargo or passengers, are not affected or subject to the rules and guidelines of DOT.
You can learn more about this here.
Conclusion
As an employer, it is necessary for you to get the best out of your employees. But when some of these workers are drug or alcohol addicts, it is critical for you to find the best solution to the problem. This problem can be easily averted by conducting drug and alcohol tests which lead to better productivity and performance from your staffs. Hopefully, this article serves as an informative guide on how you can go about it and the benefits you’ll get from it.