Dear HR,
We had a customer call and complain that when they got their vehicle back from service, half a bottle of their prescription pain medication was missing. May I drug test the employees who worked on the job?
HR Answer:
Great question – DRUG TESTING is usually performed pre-employment, post-accident, for reasonable suspicion, or at random. “Reasonable suspicion” does not typically mean possible theft; generally it refers to suspicious actions a person would exhibit under the influence of drugs.
Best practice would be sitting down with the employees involved in the situation and have a discussion regarding ramifications of theft and drug use. Ensure employees understand the conversation is “on the record” and be sure to document the discussion.
Drug testing is something that should be outlined clearly in your employee handbook and could be outlined differently moving forward. Testing an employee without a clear policy or standard could infringe on an employee’s constitutional and common law privacy rights. Would you like assistance in conducting drug tests without landing on the wrong end of a lawsuit? Contact Cardinal at 1.800.342.4742 to assist you in setting drug testing standards that fits your company culture!