Drug testing in the office? Say what?

[Cueball]

I've recently been interviewing for, among other places, a US financial company.

I've been to see them a few times, and spoken to a few of their big cheeses in Chicago.

Things have been positive, and they are keen to get things moving along.

Then I get hit with, what I consider to be, a bombshell. They require all employees (even consultants) to undergo drug tests.

So I told them (with a certain degree of tact), that they could shove their drug testing up their sanctimonious, fat, septics tank *****s.

I don't take drugs (except for booze and the occasional fag), and generally do not condone the use of them (although not in a fanatical way).

Is it short-sighted of me to strand on a principle that effectively shuts a potential door on my career path?

Why should they trust you and take your word over it? It's their company, their business, their call. If you don't play by their rules, you don't play at all.

You want my advice? Be a bloody man, suck it up and take the damn test. You are being a petty fool for no reason. Take the test and state your disapproval over having to take the test. If you are clean, you have nothing to hide.

 

[-AnthraX-]

Thats very presumptous of you but my own opinion of drugs has been tainted by losing Lots of friends and loved ones to them. Whether it be in there drug money orientated lifestyle or just the unsociable states they get in to.
Waking up with a mate dead next to you is no laughing matter. My mates 4 year old son finding his dad dead in the bath is no laughing matter.
Seeing the majority of my friends spending most of there money on drugs of one kind or another.
I could go on forever but i feel my time is wasted here.

I will leave you with this.
I have a tattoo on my left hand which all 9 of us got when we were 14. I am the only one left alive. 5 dead through drugs and drug related crime killed the others.
In the last 10 years of me being in the midlands i have lost 9 friends. YES 9.

They died because they abused drugs. Don't abuse them and you won't die.

 

[ALLI]

are companies going to start doing breathaliser tests when people roll into work in the morning? or maybe they should consider the myriad or LEGAL pharmaceuticals people may be taking, before they start going on about illegal substances?

how about doing a quick breath-check to see if people smell of booze after a friday lunchtime?

 

[4T5]

They died because they abused drugs. Don't abuse them and you won't die.

You don't abuse drugs they abuse you.
They abuse your Normal reasoning behaviour. None of the dudes i know intended to end like they did and all were of the attitude of recreational drug use.



Anyway back on topic. I apllaude the company for making an effort in the fight against drug taking/abuse.
As cueball says its there company so they should have the right to choose what kind of person works for them.

 

[Borris]

You ask for opinions and then get semi-upset (from your replies) when people post an opinion that goes against you.
That opinion being yes, you are being extremely short-sighted.

Then you say you hadn't made it clear in your OP that this wasn't the only option open to you and hadn't made that clear....
Could you possibly make it clear what it is you want people to say in this thread?

If you really want honest opinions then you need to stop getting upset when they go against yours.
If you're really not bothered about the job you've passed up on maybe you need to re-phrase your original post so that you get a different set of answers (less personal) to your question.

The joys of misinterpretation I'm certainly not upset by anybody's opinion - I welcome the diversity in points of view, whether I agree or not.

(I haven't read the complete thread yet - still working through it after returning from the gym).

 

[Jumpingmedic]

Dangerous bet, a very dangerous bet.

I remember an experiment they did in Scotland a while back. A group of heroin addicts were given safe doses of pure heroin. Not only is pure heroin relatively safe to use (compared to the crap you get off back alley dealers, mixed with bleach or whatever it is) but since the pressure was off them to find their next dose they settled down and several actually managed to get and hold jobs. But the key difference is that they were being given carefully monitored, pure drugs for free. Not the experiance of most drug users.

The drugs themselves may not affect their performance at work, might even improve it. But their continual persuit for drugs and withdrawl symptoms if they can't find them will quite definitely affect a worker.

 

[Borris]

He'll be a straight up hero who didn't get the job fairly soon, and the company will move on without caring one iota.

Borris: 0
The man: 1

Unfortunately for them, it's a sellers market (in terms of people that can do the job).

They are a hedge fund, and every day they don't have somebody doing the job, they lose far more money than they would be paying me.

Borris evens the score

 

[Glaucus]

are companies going to start doing breathaliser tests when people roll into work in the morning?

well if they smell alchole on my breath they can sack me

 

[fatiain]

I remember an experiment they did in Scotland a while back. A group of heroin addicts were given safe doses of pure heroin. Not only is pure heroin relatively safe to use (compared to the crap you get off back alley dealers, mixed with bleach or whatever it is) but since the pressure was off them to find their next dose they settled down and several actually managed to get and hold jobs. But the key difference is that they were being given carefully monitored, pure drugs for free. Not the experiance of most drug users.

The drugs themselves may not affect their performance at work, might even improve it. But their continual persuit for drugs and withdrawl symptoms if they can't find them will quite definitely affect a worker.

Spot on, hoping there was some research to back up the claim to my new house.

 

[Vtec9k]

The whole drugs good, drugs bad really has nothing to do with it.

Its personal privacy and where the does the line get drawn regarding that. So its ok to test for drugs that an employee may or may not take during leisure hours that may or may not affect his\her work performace. How about sexual activities? Studies have show sexually content people are more relaxed and concentrate better so is it ok for companies to "test" you to find out? If its illigal activities they are worried about then should they be able to implant a chip into you to make sure you aren't doing anything wrong?

ofc i picked exagerated examples but you get there idea, at what point are private things a work issue just because it may or may not affect your work. Surly people are innocent untill proven guilty and not guilty by default?

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Which drugs have you been doing then to stop you taking the test ??

 

[4T5]

The joys of misinterpretation I'm certainly not upset by anybody's opinion - I welcome the diversity in points of view, whether I agree or not.

(I haven't read the complete thread yet - still working through it after returning from the gym).

Brilliant attitude mate and Kudos for writing it out for all to see.
I to enjoy the diversity of comment on these boards its just a shame that individual opinions are not respected.
We all have our own opinions and i am thankful for that.

 

[djbenjo]

Apparently plans to introduce tests for Police officers in this country at regular intervals. Seems like it is something that may take off in this coutry to get rid of the middle class recreational users.

 

[Alasdair]

Most of the druggys i have known i certainly wouldn't want to employ and having a test on interview would make sure i don't get lumbered with one.

Maybe you're just mixing in the wrong circles. While I'm not one to glorify drugtaking in any way, shape or form, I believe that the unemployable that take drugs habitually are wasters and would be wasters no matter whether they took drugs or not.

I know a lot of people that take drugs of a weekend, but come Monday morning there is no inkling of what they were up to at the weekend. This is because it requires maturity and a work ethic, and perhaps a degree of self-control. Obviously the people you mix with have one or less of these.

I agree that anyone that takes drugs in the workplace or prior to working should not be employed, but if they do it in their own time and with no after-effects, it is entirely their choice and therefore the employer should not have any interest in this. If it brings their employer into disrepute, that's a different story altogether.

 

[Jokester]

I'm subject to random drug (and testing for alcohol) testing at my work. The basic fact of the matter is, companies don't want to employ people who will take their private life into the office, whether it's the morning after a big boozy night out, or people suffering the residual effects of doing drugs the night before.

So it's not as simple to say what you do in your own time is your own business, because those drugs don't just disappear from your system within minutes of you taking them.

Jokester

 

[TommoUK]

You don't abuse drugs they abuse you.
They abuse your Normal reasoning behaviour. None of the dudes i know intended to end like they did and all were of the attitude of recreational drug use.

Taking drugs is a risk. If people look at the risk honestly, and judge whether or not they can cope with taking drugs in moderation, then they are less likely to spiral into the states your friends found themselves in.

 

[Carzy]

I have not got the inclination to type if you cannot read what i previously wrote correctly.
Mis quoted but you carry on mate.


Also Stretch of course i am speaking for myself who else would i speak for ffs.
Its just my opinion.

Misquoted? How so? I haven't taken it out of context, and I've answered your points. You always make me chuckle with your posts, carry on!

 

[Berserker]

Ironically, one of the other companies is a mahoosive US company, and they do not require testing.

I'd put a small wager on the likelihood that you'll find they reserve the right to require a test at a later date. You might not get tested now, but that doesn't mean you won't get tested later. I've never been tested, but I know for a fact that the company I work for has a drugs policy and reserve the right to (a) remove anyone found under the influence of either alcohol or drugs from the premises, and (b) carry out random drug testing. In fact, here's the paragraph from our 'employee handbook' (names removed)...

As part of this practice, company name reserves the right to investigate any possible violations of this Policy Against Substance Abuse. An employee who refuses to participate in an investigation, which may include medical testing for alcohol or drug use, will be subject to company name’s Policy Regarding Workplace Conduct.

 

[4T5]

Taking drugs is a risk. If people look at the risk honestly, and judge whether or not they can cope with taking drugs in moderation, then they are less likely to spiral into the states your friends found themselves in.

A fair point mate. Trouble is things have changed dramatically in recent years.
For instance the weed you get now is 10 times stronger than anything thats been about previously. Same with the Coke its much stronger these days and Very cheap and the Smack is much more readily available.
Now in my opinion because of the above peeps are took unaware by these drugs as it now seems like they are safe somehow.
You smoke a widow joint for your first and you will be Smashed not just gently wasted like Resin.
Coke is now seen as a fashion accessory and Smack use is virtually acceptable.
Clubbers now take drugs regularly and its the norm.

Now in my day only certain types tried drugs, nowadays All try them. This normal attitude worrys me as like you i feel some can handle drugs and some cannot.
My day those that wanted to refuse could easily. I feel that nowadays peeps try them more through peer pressure etc rather than the want to experiment.
I feel this leads to more problems as its not only the druggys that use drugs.

I hope i have explained myself properly. I have a point i am trying to make but am not the best at writing it out.
Sorry for that and thanks for bearing with me this is a subject thats odviously very close to my heart.

 

[Sequoia]

These tests are stupid, all you do it get your clean mate to **** in a small bottle, you take the bottle with you to the toilets (you can hide it in your pants or whatever) and voilla.

Whether that will work or not will depend on the type and regime of drug tests, and the randomness of any tests. It also fails to deal with things like drug wipes which, while only a general indication, are pretty useful for picking up this kind of trickery.