Can You Find Good Help?
As the economy continues to strengthen and grow and the memories of the Great Recession fade, challenges for growing businesses continue to mount. With unemployment rates steadily decreasing, the pool of good quality available workers also decreases. The most reliable applicants who are drug free with clean backgrounds are likely already employed leaving behind a pool of applicants that may be drug users and/or have undesirable background histories. Now, more than ever, good employee screening practices are critical to the success of your business. What is put at risk when a company elects to forgo drug screening and background checks as part of their employee application process? For starters, the company’s reputation, the safety of other employees, the well being of customers and your company’s financial stability are all at stake.
Reputation
Your company’s reputation is on the line every day. You have built your company and it’s reputation and know how damaging an unsatisfied customer can be. Your employees represent your company and their appearance, behavior and actions are a direct reflection of your company. Without proper screening tools in place and in use, placing a drug abuser or person with a criminal record in a position to reflect and represent your company is very likely. Do you really want your company represented by a drug abuser? A child molester? A convicted felon?
What about second chances? Some companies are looking toward the recently incarcerated and people with past criminal records (depending on the infraction) to fill employment needs. Knowing a person’s past and working with them and giving them that second chance may produce incredibly productive, loyal and thankful employees. Bringing someone on board that is currently testing positive for drug use, on the other hand, may not be the best option.
Safety & Well Being
Substance use and abuse in the workplace is the leading cause of accidents on the job. More often than not, the injured party is usually a fellow employee of the drug user instead of the drug user themselves. Creating a safe work environment for all employees creates an environment where everyone will be happier. If caring about your employee’s well being is not high on your priority list, how about your customers? Is you customer’s safety important to you. Should electrical systems be installed properly to avoid fires? Who really needs their customers to have correctly working brakes, right? The safety and well being of all of your employees and your customers should be a top priority – always.
Financial Stability
The bottom line is your bottom line. When accidents happen, it costs the company money – in insurance rate increases, time off, production losses, etc. When a user or abuser of drugs is working for you, it can cost you more than you can afford. Substance abusers (drug and alcohol) cost businesses billions of dollars every year! As a result, companies can lose customers, experience decreased productivity, see higher rates of absenteeism and turnover costs, pay higher insurance and worker’s compensation premiums, the list goes on and on.
Conclusion
Just because you absolutely need to fill a position and hire someone, the last thing you want to do is skimp on the employee screening tools available to you such as background checks and drug screens. It would be more cost effective to leave the position unfilled than to allow someone to come on board that could potentially destroy your company. You may want to consider raising your starting pay rates, offering more or better benefits, recruiting good workers from other companies and competitors. Be creative and make your company more attractive to potential employees – do everything you can to attract the best applicants and screen out the applicants that can harm your business and reputation. Companies that are doing these things are raising prices and cutting costs in other areas to be able to offer better wages and benefits and a more attractive work environment.