Would you/do you submit to drug tests at work?

[two fingers]

Sorry but until pot is legalized nationwide you most certainly can separate alcohol from pot.

Bingo. Your breaking a law regularly and recreationally tells me as much about you as the possibility of your actually being high on the job. If breaking that law is "no big deal", then you might be able to rationalize using my gas card for your car as "no big deal" as well. It's an overall attitude of picking and choosing which laws, or which rules you want to obey. If you'll break the government's rules, you will have no problem whatsoever breaking mine.

At this point, although I agree it is much more damaging to society, alcohol is still legal. But you can believe that if I SUSPECTED someone who works for me of drinking on the job, I would have the tested for that as well. A blood alcohol level IS evidence of whether or not you are a danger to those around you.

 

[Eric Perry]

In addition to a drug and HIV test I was required to take when applying for admission to seminary studies for a religious order of Catholic Priests, I was also required to give a complete account that was documented of my sexual history as well as a detailed rendering of my sexual fantasies. Having gone through the intrusion that I just described, drawing a little blood or urine for analyses seems like a casual experience.

Sexual fantasies too? Oh lawdy! I can imagine their faces if they ever read just my accounts of sexual experiences, let alone fantasies! Yeow!

 

[preside]

His values. Not wanting anyone to know that he doesn't do drugs?

In the company I ran, we never did drug testing before or during employment. But if drugs had become a significant problem, I would have instituted it in a second. To those whose "values" precluded them taking the tests, I don't think I'd've missed them.

The values I will not break are my rights under the constitution protecting me from unreasonable search. Oh and do you really think drugs is all they are looking for. Are you a woman on birth control? Are you a diabetic? Are you on any special (read expensive) medication? All of these things can be checked on a Pee test and can impact a firms bottom line and they may decide not to hire you. Besides since when does a corporations rights trump mine?

 

[zachoff]

Bingo. Your breaking a law regularly and recreationally tells me as much about you as the possibility of your actually being high on the job. If breaking that law is "no big deal", then you might be able to rationalize using my gas card for your car as "no big deal" as well. It's an overall attitude of picking and choosing which laws, or which rules you want to obey. If you'll break the government's rules, you will have no problem whatsoever breaking mine.

Since you brought up using the gas card, I'm sure you and your employees never drive over the speed limit or roll through a stop sign, speed up at yellow lights, turn without signalling, jaywalk or... Everyone breaks laws. There's no way not to as there are so damn many of them. Do you fire your employees for traffic violations? Do you not hire them if their background check reveals they have a traffic ticket or worse yet, an accident? DUI? IMO, that would be much more relevant to the job than if they smoked weed last Saturday.

 

[MatticusMania]

Sexual fantasies too? Oh lawdy! I can imagine their faces if they ever read just my accounts of sexual experiences, let alone fantasies! Yeow!

Lets just say that you and I, we aint cut out for the seminary. The semenary, however...

 

[two fingers]

The values I will not break are my rights under the constitution protecting me from unreasonable search. Oh and do you really think drugs is all they are looking for. Are you a woman on birth control? Are you a diabetic? Are you on any special (read expensive) medication? All of these things can be checked on a Pee test and can impact a firms bottom line and they may decide not to hire you. Besides since when does a corporations rights trump mine?

Take off the tin foil hat. I promise you that CEOs just don't think that way. Checking for what medications you are on would cost a ton. EACH chemical has its own test. How many tests would one have to run to catch every single potentially expensive drug? One would have to fill up a 5 gallon bucket with pee just to run all the tests in your stupid conspiracy.

And the whole "corporations are evil" mentality is so intellectually lazy it's not even funny. You are where you are because of YOUR choices, not because "the man is beatn' you down". Here's a fun experiment. Just look up a list of the 100 largest corporations on the planet. Then try to imagine society as we know it without them. Huge corporations are AWESOME! I get cheap food. I get cheap(ish) gas. I can get a 12' TV in my house if I want it. I have tons of choices and all of the players have competition. The market is better now than it ever has been. Relatively speaking, things are cheap, and choices are nearly unlimited, all thanks to big corporations. And if they profit a gagillion dollars a second bringing me those cheap choices, congrats to them! My goal is to either own a huge corporation, or sell my business one day to a huge corporation........ for a metric ton of money. And I have never cheated anyone, treated anyone unfairly, screwed the little guy, tried to "balance my budget on the backs of the poor", or any other trite expression you care to fling at me.

 

[Eric Perry]

Lets just say that you and I, we aint cut out for the seminary. The semenary, however...

 

[BawanaRik]

The family to feed thing is the bottom line. No employers owes you a job. Just as in my house it's my rules the boss get's the same respect.

That may be, but nobody has a little black tar heroin, little coke, and/or little meth problem. Weed wasn't a factor in any of these incidents.

While I might agree it's no big deal, I have a family to feed and can't afford to be on the wrong side of that argument in a drug test.

 

[spade2you]

Sexual fantasies too? Oh lawdy! I can imagine their faces if they ever read just my accounts of sexual experiences, let alone fantasies! Yeow!

Yeah, they might not hire me if they saw my external hard drive. No rule against 20gigaporn, but it probably wouldn't look good.

 

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

Since you brought up using the gas card, I'm sure you and your employees never drive over the speed limit or roll through a stop sign, speed up at yellow lights, turn without signalling, jaywalk or... Everyone breaks laws. There's no way not to as there are so damn many of them. Do you fire your employees for traffic violations? Do you not hire them if their background check reveals they have a traffic ticket or worse yet, an accident? DUI? IMO, that would be much more relevant to the job than if they smoked weed last Saturday.

You'd be surprised how may company vehicles have tracking devices on them. They monitor speeds, location and even if they sit idling for long periods of time. Why? To maximize profits while minimizing burden.

 

[MatticusMania]

The family to feed thing is the bottom line. No employers owes you a job. Just as in my house it's my rules the boss get's the same respect.

This is a valid point. Some employers are going to test, and it boils down to whether or not we need a job bad enough.
Thats the reason I submitted to a pre-employment drug screen, I needed a job. Now, I have one.
Im wondering if businesses in California even bother testing for marijuana. It seems every toker I know has had no problem passing their drug test.

 

[spade2you]

You'd be surprised how may company vehicles have tracking devices on them. They monitor speeds, location and even if they sit idling for long periods of time. Why? To maximize profits while minimizing burden.

Also to protect their investments.

 

[MatticusMania]

You'd be surprised how may company vehicles have tracking devices on them. They monitor speeds, location and even if they sit idling for long periods of time. Why? To maximize profits while minimizing burden.

Thats true. Though, youre talking about on the job company vehicle use.
zachoffs point was in regards to off the job personal vehicle use.

 

[BawanaRik]

Very clear insightful post. Anyone who really thinks Big Business is out to get them should not buy their products. I do not like Walmart, so I do not shop there.

It's easy. If you're not blinded by paranoia.

Anyone who really thinks that a business is getting away with super natural profits should BUY their stock and ride that gravy train.

As it is most businesses are just making a reasonable profit and providing jobs for millions of folks with mouths to feed.

Take off the tin foil hat. I promise you that CEOs just don't think that way. Checking for what medications you are on would cost a ton. EACH chemical has its own test. How many tests would one have to run to catch every single potentially expensive drug? One would have to fill up a 5 gallon bucket with pee just to run all the tests in your stupid conspiracy.

And the whole "corporations are evil" mentality is so intellectually lazy it's not even funny. You are where you are because of YOUR choices, not because "the man is beatn' you down". Here's a fun experiment. Just look up a list of the 100 largest corporations on the planet. Then try to imagine society as we know it without them. Huge corporations are AWESOME! I get cheap food. I get cheap(ish) gas. I can get a 12' TV in my house if I want it. I have tons of choices and all of the players have competition. The market is better now than it ever has been. Relatively speaking, things are cheap, and choices are nearly unlimited, all thanks to big corporations. And if they profit a gagillion dollars a second bringing me those cheap choices, congrats to them! My goal is to either own a huge corporation, or sell my business one day to a huge corporation........ for a metric ton of money. And I have never cheated anyone, treated anyone unfairly, screwed the little guy, tried to "balance my budget on the backs of the poor", or any other trite expression you care to fling at me.

 

[Lonesomedave]

You'd be surprised how may company vehicles have tracking devices on them. They monitor speeds, location and even if they sit idling for long periods of time. Why? To maximize profits while minimizing burden.

oh no....you aint gettin' off that easy....

we are not talking about anything ON THE JOB here....

we are talking about off the job, on your own time...cheat on taxes, drive over the speed limit, gamble, look at internet porn....the list goes on and on....

all as relevant to job performance as smoking a doobie OFF WORK....

and yet, you folks have singled out the doobie smoker while letting the illegal gambler completely off the hook?

hypocrites, i call

 

[BawanaRik]

There's been testing into the testing. Drug testing is wrong about half the time. The good news is that it's false negatives that are reported rather than false positives.

These labs tend to be low bidder operations. Overworked lab staff needs to get the results out.

This is a valid point. Some employers are going to test, and it boils down to whether or not we need a job bad enough.
Thats the reason I submitted to a pre-employment drug screen, I needed a job. Now, I have one.
Im wondering if businesses in California even bother testing for marijuana. It seems every toker I know has had no problem passing their drug test.

 

[two fingers]

Do you not hire them if their background check reveals they have a traffic ticket or worse yet, an accident? DUI?

As far as hiring, that IS my policy of you are interviewing for a position that requires driving my vehicle. You don't get hired with a ticket. As far as getting one on the job, it all depends. Are you an amazing employee otherwise? Is it a really bad ticket? How much will it cost my business to keep you on the insurance? The answers to these questions tell me whether or not you stay.

Do you guys think that running a business is just a group of "buddies" who hang around together all day and take care of each others' needs for a living? I run a business for MY family. You should be working for YOURS. Ah..... never mind. Many of you have had anti capitalism pounded into your mushy little brains for so long it just isn't worth the fight.

 

[Lonesomedave]

This is a valid point. Some employers are going to test, and it boils down to whether or not we need a job bad enough.
Thats the reason I submitted to a pre-employment drug screen, I needed a job. Now, I have one.
Im wondering if businesses in California even bother testing for marijuana. It seems every toker I know has had no problem passing their drug test.

move to tennessee and let me know how it works out for ya...

 

[bamabass]

Speaking as the president of a company, this is an interesting read. We require pre-employment drug screens, and a drug test whenever there is an accident or incident. Our company is large and we have everything from manufacturing facilities with machining and fabrication to sales people traveling around the world.

I do not mind an employee who RESPONSIBLY does whatever he does on his own time, and leaves it at home when he gets into work, but unfortunately not everyone who partakes (and I am not just talking about marijuana) is as responsible as everyone on talkbass claim, who are always in control. Also understand that for a lot of employers, it is not our decision to do to do this testing, it is required of us by those that are insuring and underwriting all of our business. While I respect your decision to say no, please respect my position that providing jobs and income for 350 people is more important to me. To be able to provide those jobs, I have to adhere to the requirements of those that make it possible. You have the right to say no, and I support it, but I also have the right to terminate. Please know that these rules apply to me also. I am not immune.

If you have a stupid moment at home, that is on you but when it happens at work I have to deal with potential workmans comp, lawsuits, potential injury to other people, damage to property, damage to product, delivery issues, etc. Even a lack of judgement regarding intellectual property can get your company in a very bad spot.

I have sales people who are on the road for weeks at a time in company vehicles we insure, or renting cars the company is responsible for when they are rented, and staying in hotels than connect back to our company, and transporting customers, clients and others that are kind of important to the company. Anytime an accident or incident happens, lawyers are ALWAYS involved. We have to protect ourselves and our employees. If you can't stay clean long enough to pass a drug test you should know is coming for a new job, why should I trust you to stay clean for weeks on end when you are representing the company ? If you have an accident or incident and there are drugs in your system even alcohol, realize it will cost you your job. Alcohol related incidents are among the most common we see.

Just my $0.02

 

[DwaynieAD]

Since you brought up using the gas card, I'm sure you and your employees never drive over the speed limit or roll through a stop sign, speed up at yellow lights, turn without signalling, jaywalk or... Everyone breaks laws. There's no way not to as there are so damn many of them. Do you fire your employees for traffic violations? Do you not hire them if their background check reveals they have a traffic ticket or worse yet, an accident? DUI? IMO, that would be much more relevant to the job than if they smoked weed last Saturday.

yes it happens exactly as you are attempting to sarcastically imply. you can't even have a misdemeanor on your record and work where I work. some companies are running credit checks prior to hiring