Employees: Benefits of drugs testing

There are 4 standardized reasons why companies drug test their employees.

There are a variety of reasons why it is so important to maintain a drug-free work zone.

The use of drugs in the workplace costs employers almost $81 billion a year due to a loss in productivity. Alcoholism alone is reported to cause 500 million lost workdays per calendar year. Statistics show that there is almost a 4.0 increase in incidence of employees injuring themselves or others in the workplace if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As a result, employees are 5 times more probable to utilize workmen’s compensation, which is a direct financial loss to the company. Furthermore, employees who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction or abuse are 2.5 times more likely to be absent from the workplace compared to their non-using co-workers. Similarly, when employees who are using drugs and alcohol do not show-up for work, it is often the case that they have a long-standing record of excessive tardiness in both getting to work, as well as at work during their lunch-breaks. Employees who abuse drugs and alcohol are also 2 times as likely to skip work as their non-using colleagues and to change jobs up to 3 times a year. All of these things cost companies’ unnecessary finances either through increased insurance premiums, loss of needed employees, poor work performance, and thus, an overall reduction in production. It is estimated, that, in only one year alcohol and drug abuse cost businesses in the United States 81 billion dollars due to a loss in productivity. Consider how a substance abuser might affect your workplace. For some employers, just one accident or financial problem caused by an employee who is using drugs or alcohol while on the job could put the entire organization at risk.