It’s the age of cannabis. Marijuana use has skyrocketed, with recreational consumption at an all-time high. Largely because of the pandemic, the boundary between employees’ personal and professional lives has become blurry. And in some cases, this means that professionals are bringing their recreational drug use into the workplace. In fact, one-third of corporate workers have admitted to using weed on the clock. Maintaining a drug-free workplace is necessary if companies want to stay productive and profitable.

In this blog, let’s explore how drug use in the workplace can harm both employee wellness and your bottom line. We’ll also go over a plan of action for running a drug-free workplace.

The Cost of Drug Abuse in the Workplace

Drug use at work is both dangerous and expensive for employers. In fact, it’s costing employers $81 billion every single year. This comes in the form of lost work, healthcare costs, and reduced productivity. Workplace absences increase, and output decreases. Plus, drug use can increase the occurrence of crime and on-the-job accidents.

Think, too, of how certain drugs can impact mental health and behavior. These substances can make an individual erratic, paranoid, anxious, or highly irritable.

There’s a scary ripple effect here. An employee who shows up impaired is a danger not just to themselves but to the people they work with. If they’re in a customer- or client-facing role — or if they operate any equipment or machinery — this is an even bigger consideration. People under the influence are likelier to make mistakes and misjudge situations, and their reaction times might be slower than normal.

Keeping a drug-free workplace is essential for all parties involved — you as the business owner and leader of the company, your staff, the vendors you work with, and the people you serve. Making sure that your work environment remains free of drugs and alcohol will ensure that you’re in a good position to be productive and efficient. Employees will feel safer and more motivated. And you’ll not only save money but generate more, too.

It’s important to communicate the risks of drug use at work to your team. Some employees might think that it’s a personal decision and fail to understand how their choices can have a widespread impact on the team and the company as a whole.

Now that you know how damaging drugs and alcohol can be for your company, how can you go about keeping them out of the workplace?

How to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace

Knowing that a substance-free work environment is so important to your company and its overall success, how exactly do you implement and reinforce these standards?

The most important consideration is to have a rock-solid drug-free workplace policy. The policy outlines crucial details such as:

• What substances your company screens for (like marijuana, alcohol, opioids, etc.).
• What happens if an employee refuses a test.
• What happens if they test positive.
• The conditions under which your company tests its employees (pre-employment, at random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, etc.).

A drug-free workplace policy makes clear what your staff can expect, and it also protects you and the business. This is especially important when it comes to explaining how you select employees at random for random drug testing. Removing any bias and making it truly random is non-negotiable. If you partner with a third-party drug testing company, they can help you with this. Keep your policy updated, especially as the laws around cannabis change. (A drug testing company can also help you with this.)

Once you’ve decided what types of employment screening you want to conduct (and under what circumstances), you need a streamlined system for ordering tests and making it easy for your employees to get screened. eNational offers employment drug testing at more than 2,000 locations around the United States. There are urine, hair, and alcohol tests, all of which you can order in just a few clicks. They offer four-panel tests, all the way up to 15-panel tests, screening for substances including amphetamines, methadone, MDMA, and barbiturates.

You should also consider appointing a designated employer representative (DER). This person should be a current employee. They’ll help you run your drug and alcohol program, keep everything on track, and manage all testing and records.

What About Employees Who Work from Home?

Can you drug test remote workers? Yes! The COVID-19 pandemic had many businesses switching to a work-from-home or hybrid set-up. The lines might seem blurry, since the “workplace,” in this case, is your employees’ homes. However, because they’re on the clock and still representing the company, remote workers are subject to employment drug testing.

Be sure that once again, this is clearly outlined and explained in your drug-free workplace policy so that employees know what their rights are and what’s expected of them, regardless of from where they’re working.

The Bottom Line

Our culture and society might be becoming laxer about marijuana use. However, remember that it’s still illegal on a federal level — even if it’s legal in your state. Furthermore, you as a business owner still have the right to determine what you do and do not allow at your own place of business.

In order for your business to succeed, you need to create an environment that’s safe, healthy, positive, and productive. This means taking steps to ideally eliminate the presence of any drugs or alcohol during working hours.

If you do this, you’ll build a workplace culture of community, wellness, and ultimately, profit.