An important part of running a successful business is finding the right employees. Unfortunately, certain employees have substance abuse problems that are brought into the workplace. To help stop this problem, many employers enact drug tests. If you aren’t currently implementing some type of screening program, it could have a major negative impact on your company. Considering that, here are four ways that workers with substance abuse problems can negatively affect your business.
- Places Additional Stress on Other Workers
There are several reasons why it’s never good to have workers around those with substance abuse problems. One reason is that workers on drugs often call in more frequently than those not using these substances. In fact, statistics show that the average employee who uses drugs will be absent 20 times more than a drug free worker. Another reason it’s stressful for workers to be around those with substance abuse problems is behavior concerns. Drug users are often prone to mood swings which can create a stressful workplace. - Lack of Motivation
More often than not, workers who use drugs can experience varying degrees of motivation. Unfortunately, this can make these workers unreliable. In turn, this makes it harder for business to have reliable employee output. Implementing urine drug tests helps to eliminate this problem from your business. In fact, statistics gathered from 2015 found that there were over 9.5 positive urine drug test results throughout the United States workforce. Implementing these tests helps to ensure potentially troublesome employees are removed from the candidate pool. - Increased Risk of Worker Injuries
Workplace injuries are extremely detrimental to a business. Considering that, having impaired employees operate equipment risks all sorts of damages for your business. For instance, workers on drugs can end up using equipment incorrectly which can also risk innocent workers getting seriously injured. If you want to avoid these risks, it’s wise to have employees drug tested. - Costs Your Company More Money
Many workers long to find a business that offers some type of healthcare program. Offering this to workers is something that can really help them out. Unfortunately, this kindness is often taken advantage of by employees with substance abuse problems. In fact, one study found that workers with substance abuse problems can skyrocket health care costs for a business by up to 300%.
In closing, there are several problems caused by hiring employees with substance abuse issues. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to tell which employees might have these problems without implementing drug tests. These tests are used to test for a wide variety of drugs. Consider that many drugs stay within the body for a few days, you can rest assured these tests will accurately detect workers with substance abuse issues.