Having a drug-free company will not only be beneficial to the owners but to other employees as well. That’s why it’s very important that you can adapt a drug testing program right at your own organization. However, it’s never going to be that easy, especially when the management itself is totally apprehensive about it.

Here are some tips on how to convince the management to begin a drug testing program in your company:

1. Inform them of the benefits of developing one. One of the best ways to get their nods is to let them know what the rewards are when you have a drug-free company. These may include lesser conflicts in the organization, more productive employees, lesser turnover, and a healthier working environment for everyone. To help you out during the persuasion process, you can cite a drug-free company and how the program helps them to become a more successful one and achieve their goals.

2. Create drug-related policies. Sometimes the management would just like to see if you mean what you want to happen. What you can do is to create drug-related policies in the workplace. Make sure that they are very easy to understand and will not be misinterpreted by anyone. It’s also essential that you can identify the possible sanctions a drug user may face if found violating the drug-related policies. When they see that you’re willing to take on the challenge of leading the drug testing program with your policies, it will be easier for them to give you the blessing you want.

3. Stress the laws that govern the development of a drug-free company. Workplace drug testing is not only compliance of work or contract requirements, but it’s also mandated by law and supervised by various federal agencies. When your arguments will be backed up by proper regulations and provisions of the law against substance abuse, there’s a huge possibility that the management would not mind having one in your company.

4. Focus on the long-term cost than the initial investment needed on a drug testing program. One of the reasons why the management may be lukewarm on the idea of a drug testing program in a company is because of the cost. After all, you can’t start it unless it has its own budget, which will have to come from the coffers of the company. Nevertheless, you can inform the leaders that it’s better to invest now than continuously develop liabilities in the company along the way. Having a drug user is no joke, and when they are too many, they can already be too costly. They will be unproductive, basically need more money than the others, and will push those who are not into substance abuse to eventually leave the company for their own safety. With the drug testing program, you can already correct the problems of a drug user, give him/her the necessary treatment so he/she can be more fit to work, and, if it still fails, remove him/her from the organization before he/she does more harm than good.

Posted under Employee & Workplace Drug Testing
Tags: drug abuse in the workplace, drug abuse problem, Drug Testing - General, drug testing in the workplace, employee drug testing, random drug test, substance abuse, workplace drug, workplace drug testing.