Interestingly, we have people come into our clinic who have been told by the boss to take a drug test. The employee pays for it. No reason is given, but if someone comes in with money and wants a test, we’ll sell it to them. I’m actually not sure what the law says about employers [...]
Workplace injuries can be expensive and disruptive. And besides, who wants someone to get hurt? Despite employers’ hopes that employees will use good judgment, it doesn’t always work that way, and employers are burdened with the responsibility of keeping the workplace safe. If you are in human resources, you need to protect your employees [...]
It was late on a Friday morning and the phone rang. “Tim, I need your help on something.” It was Sheryl, an HR attorney I know well. She proceeded to tell me that she had received a call from a client, a small company in Chicago. One of the employees found a bloody syringe [...]
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently rewarded truck drivers by reducing the number of required drug tests for the first time since 1989 when mandated testing began. Why? It’s pretty simple. And it’s in the code. For the last three years, the positive rate among drivers with Commercial Drivers Licenses has been less than 1%. [...]
A week ago medical marijuana became available in Illinois. Frankly, I don't really care if adults choose to smoke pot. I also don't care if they choose to shoot staples into their thighs or drink gasoline. As long as it doesn't harm me, my family or my business, it's really none of my business. That's [...]
What if an employee has a positive drug test—and it’s caused by prescription medication? Legit question. And it happens. Prescription drugs can lead to positive drug tests. With prescription drug abuse out of control, many companies now choose to test for more than the 5 main classes of drugs in a standard 5 Panel [...]
Jane seems tired all the time. She’s been late to work three times in the last two weeks, and on Tuesday she actually fell asleep at her desk. Today she’s slurring her speech. One of your supervisors comes to you to ask what to do. How do you respond? What CAN the company do? [...]
“Do you drug test?” I was recently told by the manager of an auto dealership that he is asked this question frequently by job applicants. It's the first question. Employers that don't drug test are employers of choice for those that use illicit drugs. The consequences to companies that don’t test are not always apparent, as [...]
Updating Workplace Policies for Marijuana Legalization The legalization of marijuana in many states — including Illinois — has HR managers scrambling to update their drug policies to deal with marijuana in the workplace. Many policy writers are amending their policies to use phrases like “under the influence of illegal drugs” or “impaired during work [...]
But they are ideal for certain situations. Whether they be drug tests or medical tests, and instant test (aka “rapid” test), is what is called a “screen.” It’s a quick, down-and-dirty check. If you pass, it’s accepted. If you don’t, it needs further testing in a lab. Of course, if it were that simple, [...]
