DRUGS & ALCOHOL
THE ACID TEST
Substance misuse at work poses a serious risk to the user and their colleagues. John Devitt, chief executive of the Counted4 Group, offers his expert advice on how to implement a sound drug testing programme.
The issue of substance misuse in the workplace can be tricky for any company to deal with. A badly implemented programme can cause divisions within a workforce and lead to claims of unfairness, bullying and even employment tribunals. Particular challenges include providing the support and education needed around substance misuse and knowing which testing methods are suitable for a given company.
Substance misuse impacts on every part of society and it is essential for companies to have a legally defensible
drug and alcohol testing policy and programme, which is fully integrated with other policies and procedures, such as HR and health and safety. The risks associated with substance misuse range from the obvious – reputation damage and absenteeism, to the less obvious – employee motivation, productivity and staff turnover. Whatever the level of risk, drug and alcohol misuse is a serious issue that must be addressed.
“AROUND 70% OF PEOPLE WHO MISUSE SUBSTANCES HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION AND APPROXIMATELY 70% OF PEOPLE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM MISUSE SUBSTANCES.”
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The purpose of any drug and alcohol testing programme should be to improve safety in the workplace and prevent the risks associated with substance misuse impacting on the business, employees, customers and the general public. Testing plays an important part of this but a drug and alcohol programme should not be totally reliant on test results. No tests can be
100% accurate and most testing programmes only concentrate on the most well-known illicit substances.
At Counted4, we believe in the importance of high quality testing and treatment, which means all staff should be involved throughout the design of any testing programme. Too many companies impose testing programmes on their staff without any consultation, which can lead to an unhealthy relationship between companies and their employees. This produces a draconian cat-and-mouse game with an emphasis on trying to catch people out, rather than making the workplace safer for everyone.
The level of independence of the testing regime is also a key issue, as many companies simply do not have the skills and awareness to deal with substance misuse. Some companies train their own employees to carry out tests but there are a number of issues associated with this. Most alarming is the lack of credibility and rigour that
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