DRUG TESTING POLICY
The Ins and Outs for Changing Times
If you have drug testing policy questions, you have come to the right place.
About This Session.
Changing drug laws, a new administration, a dynamic and evolving drugs-of-abuse landscape and generational change in the makeup of our workforce have brought drug testing policy to the front of many human resources and drug testing professionals’ minds. The landscape is one that presents both challenges in sustaining testing programs that keep the workplace drug-free and opportunities to equip managers with actionable tools to do just that.
In this one-hour session, recorded during a live webinar in February 2021, you will learn about some of the pitfalls, challenges, workarounds and best practices in implementing an effective drug testing policy. We have broken it into short sessions by theme so you can easily get the information you need.
Our experts will share anecdotes, learnings and answer many of the questions that you are probably asking yourself about how to create that drug-free workplace but with an eye to new rules of the road that are here or coming.
This is a webinar that anyone designing, implementing or managing a drug testing program should see.
Some questions answered in this session.
“What is the big deal about a policy?”
“Will there ever be a (defensible) test for impairment?”
“What is a commonly-heard defense for a failed drug test?”
“What is a guaranteed way to lose a drug testing challenge?”
“What are the building blocks for a reasonable suspicion test?”
Data: Which Drugs Are Trending And How Are Users Responding?
This chapter shares trending data that illustrates the need for a drug testing program and policy to drive it. We talk about evolving drug usage behaviors and changing positions for drug classes. We share trending data gathered from Psychemedics’ lab data and other sources. This session sets up much of the discussion in other sections by providing some grounding as to which drugs are trending up, and how user behaviors are moving with them.
“What’s the big deal about a drug policy?”
There are a raft of reasons that an effective drug testing policy is both beneficial and critical. Everything from protecting the organization from litigation to delivering a governance framework and roadmap for managers. They are discussed in this section by Jo McGuire, an expert on policy and programs.
“Policies Help Weather Shifting Legal Winds”
This is a discussion about legal challenges to drug test results and policies and how a clearly-stated policy helped an employer counter the challenge. Several cases are discussed in detail with many more referenced to illustrate the strength of a well-constructed drug testing policy when challenged in court.
“Job Sites Can I.D. Employers That Don’t Test”
Some job search sites, and many forums, feature listings of companies that don’t test for drugs. Being transparent with your policy and making it known will discourage drug users from trying to beat your system. Jo McGuire talks about what she has found in delivering her training workshops and talking with countless employers about their experiences in vetting applicants that researched drug testing practices online before applying.
“Let’s Talk About Creating A Policy”
This section discusses practical elements of creating a policy. It details things that should be common sense but sometimes get lost in the effort, discusses the attributes of Safety Sensitive versus “not”, and gives example of how one employer incorporates a policy statement into applications to be transparent. This is a session that covers a lot of ground with good-to-information.
“Avoiding The Reasonable Suspicion Trap(s)“
Reasonable suspicion can be a slippery slope for policy makers and drug programs administrators. Jo McGuire explains in this section why some teams fall into the trap of assuming Random Testing and Reasonable Suspicion are related and interchangeable pieces. She delivers practical advice on how to avoid the Reasonable Suspicion trap with your drug testing policy.
“Impairment. Will There Ever Be A Test?“
A legal measure of impairment, like that for alcohol, has long been a desired tool for drug programs policy makers, but it doesn’t exist. In this session, Jo talks about the difficulties in establishing impairment guidance and what employers may want to consider in establishing their drug testing policies.
“Some Best Practices That Other Organizations Are Using“
In this session we talk about what some others are doing to establish a Deterrence Centric Drug Program. Deterrence is a key theme for successful programs and we show real world data that highlights the relationship between Certainty of Detection and Deterrence when a company builds proactive outreach and transparency into its drug testing policy and program. Examples data accumulated over a number of years as well as real world experience and practices from a recent webinar on the trucking industry with safety VP’s sharing their experiences.
Drug News You Can Use
Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to stay up-to-date with snapshots of usage statistics, information on the latest trends, and updates on detection science.