Aiming for a Drug-Free Workplace
There is no shortage of reasons employers test their workers for drugs. Employers say workers who use drugs raise a company?s insurance costs, steal equipment and scare away clients. Companies lose $82 billion in productivity each year because of substance abuse, the federal government estimates. Now, a growing number of employers are fighting back with workplace drug programs. They say better technology has made drug screening more reliable, while insurance discounts and government grants have made it cheaper. However, small businesses are increasingly reluctant to implement these programs, either due to other priorities, a sense of familiarity with their employees, or some combination of other reasons.
See "Aiming for a Drug-Free Workplace", Dalia Fahmy, The New York Times, May 9, 2007