Mandatory drug testing

The majority of employers have adopted mandatory random drug testing on their employees, arguing that the enormous damage caused by the pervasive use of drugs in our society carries over into the workplace. Typically the tests involve taking urine or blood samples under close observation, thereby raising questions about personal privacy as well as privacy issues regarding drug use away from the workplace that is revealed by the tests. 

Present & defend your view concerning mandatory drug tests at the workplace. 

In your answer, take account of the argument that, except where safety is a clear & present danger, as in the work of pilots, police & the military, such tests are unjustified. Employera have a right to the level of performance for which they pay employees, a level typically  specified in contracts & job descriptions. When a particular employee fails to meet that level of performance, then employers will take appropriate disciplinary action based on observable behaviour. Either way, it is employee performance that is relevant in evaluating employees, not drug use per se.

What do you think?

At first, drug use, abuse, or addiction among employees can cause expensive problems for business and industry even if the person was using it away from the workplace. These problems are ranged from loss of productivity, absenteeism, injuries, fatalities, theft and low employee morale, to an increase in health care, legal liabilities and workers’ compensation costs. In addition drug abuse can cause problems at work including after-effects of substance use (withdrawal) which affect job performance, preoccupation with obtaining and using substances while at work, interfering with attention and concentration, and psychological or stress-related effects due to drug use by a friend or a co-worker that affects another person’s job performance.

In other words, drug addicts are bad for business due to the lack of performance, since they have inconsistent work quality, poor concentration and lack of focus, lowered productivity or unreliable work patterns, increased absenteeism or on the job “presenteeism”, unexplained disappearances from the workplace, carelessness, mistakes or errors in judgment, needless risk taking, disregard for safety for self and others on the job. Also drug addicts are bad for business due to bad workplace behavior, since they have frequent financial problems and avoidance of friends and colleagues, blaming others for their own problems and shortcomings, complaints about problems at home, deterioration in personal appearance or hygiene complaints, and excuses and time off for vaguely defined illnesses or family problems.

What I mean is that the mandatory drug tests at workplace are essential and a must, to make sure that all employees are drug free, for the continuity of business and the safety of the workplace and its employees. After all, drugs always leads to chaos.