It has become more and more common for employers to require that prospective employees complete a drug test as part of the hiring process. In recent years, it has become much easier to get this done, as many companies offer employee drug testing services. This way, employers will not have to administer the drug tests themselves. Requiring prospective employees to take drug tests offers employers multiple benefits. It can decrease employee absenteeism, reduce turnover rates, reduce the risk of accidents on the job, prevent drug use on the job, and even keep your worker’s comp insurance rates low. Read on to learn more about the benefits of including drug testing as part of your hiring process.
Drug Testing Decreases Employee Absenteeism and Turnover Rates
One of the biggest reasons that employers should implement drug testing is that it decreases employee absenteeism and turnover rates. Of course, employees with drug problems are more likely to miss work often and eventually quit. This can cause chaos in your company down the line, so it’s a good idea to nip the problem in the bud by having prospective employees take drug tests.
You Can Reduce Risk of Accidents and Injuries
Another important benefit of incorporating drug testing into your hiring process is that you can reduce the risk of future on-the-job accidents and injuries. Many accidents and injuries that occur at work are caused by an employee being drunk or high. These accidents can cost an employer dearly in terms of lost work, worker’s comp expenses, and perhaps even legal expenses. Pre-employment drug testing can screen out high-risk employees and prevent many work-related accidents and injuries before they happen.
Drug Testing Prevents Drug Use On the Job
It is surprisingly common for employees to use drugs on the job. As previously mentioned, this often leads to accidents and injuries. Even if it does not lead to accidents and injuries, it will inevitably lead to a drop in the quality of the employee’s work. An employee that is using drugs on the job can also cause a disruption that can affect the ability of other employees to work. You can reduce the risk of this happening by screening out prospective employees with drug problems before they have the chance to cause a disruption or do low-quality work.
You Can Identify Drug Use Early by Prospective Employees
It is common for employers to randomly drug test their employees. This can catch employees who have drug problems so they can be dealt with immediately. However, these employees have possibly already caused damage to the company already. It is advisable for employers to not only drug test current employees, but to also drug test prospective employees. This will prevent any damage to the company instead of merely limiting the damage that the drug-using employee has already caused to the company.
Lowers Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rates
Worker’s comp insurance rates are a significant expense for businesses of all sizes. As previously mentioned, accidents or injuries caused by a drug-using employee can cost the employer a great deal in worker’s compensation claims. Not only will the employer have to cover a certain amount out-of-pocket, but they will also have to deal with increased worker’s comp insurance premiums. Also, many insurers offer lower worker’s comp insurance rates to companies who do regular drug testing of prospective and current employees. Thus, a drug testing plan can help you save a great deal of money.
Implementing Drug Testing as Part of the Hiring Process
Implementing drug testing for prospective employees may seem like a pain, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It can be a pain if you attempt to handle it yourself. However, it is easy to outsource it to companies that specialize in employee drug testing.