Staff testing: employment checks and drug screening

As an employer, one of the most important aspects of hiring is staff testing, which consists of two parts: pre-employment background checks and drug screening. Both of these can play a very significant role in staff testing and the employees you bring into the company, primarily ensuring that all new hires are well suited to your organization and have the right personality, values and work ethic to succeed. Let’s take a look at each of these, and emphasize the part they play in staff testing:

Pre-employment background checks

There are several reasons as to why it’s a good idea to run pre-employment background checks on potential new hires. This form of staff testing primarily verifies all the information provided by the job applicant during the application process.

Furthermore, staff testing in the form of employment checks is also an attempt to prevent negligent hiring suits further down the line. If an individual is hired without a background check and goes on to harm themselves or another employee at work, the fact that no staff testing of this form was performed can easily result in a lawsuit. For example, if the individual has a criminal record for assault and the employer had failed to check this, it could be claimed that by hiring them the company was putting other employees at risk – a perfect example of negligent hiring.

A final reason to adhere to staff testing such as a pre-employment check may be due to legal reasons. In some industries, there are federal and state legal requirements, specifically including  jobs that involve contact with children, the elderly or disabled, as well as some government jobs.

Drug screening

So what about the second aspect of staff testing – drug testing in the workplace?

As with employment checks, one big reason for drug testing is to avoid the legal issues if an employee has an accident while intoxicated at work. Drugs in the workplace can result in big bills for workers compensation if there’s an accident. It can also reduce productivity, and statistics show that those who abuse drugs and alcohol are ten times more likely to take time off work. Overall, it’s a key part of staff testing and should not be dismissed by employers.

In conclusion, it seems pretty clear that staff testing should be a priority for all employers not only when hiring new staff, but also for current employees. One may think that they are saving some money by forgoing staff testing, but as evident above, the consequences of this can be costly – both financially and in terms of damaging your company’s reputation.

Check out how Mind Your Business, Inc. can help you protect your money, your employees and your business now.