Do you have an employee who concerns you in regards to his possible drug or alcohol use? Yet, somehow this employee manages to pass the drug/alcohol testing every single time? Not only the pre-employment drug screening but also all the random drug tests? How is he managing to get a negative on all his drug test results? What can you do to find out the truth?

Pre-Employment Testing

The standard pre-employment drug testing had been done and the applicant passed all drug screening tests. Every substance came back negative. The applicant has a good prior employment record, great education, good references, and a good credit check. He seems like a great candidate. As the employer, you felt you had gone through the proper testing to determine a good, clean applicant. Be aware that some applicants will stop using drugs for a couple of weeks to get a negative drug screen for a position.

Random Testing

Many employers perform random drug testing. Random drug testing is a very effective tool. But some clever individuals can get by these, too. Your employee might use any of these tactics to avoid a positive result:

• Leaving early on the day they are to test. Some employees manage to get sick every time their name comes up.
• Diluting urine. This is why most companies do not allow the contributor to wash hands or turn on the water at all.
• Using someone elses urine. There are some very sophisticated systems online for carrying clean urine.
• Adding chemicals to the sample. Unfortunately, there are still a few chemicals that tests cannot separate from urine. Some of these include Visine eye drops and rubbing alcohol, which are both very easy to get.

These are all tactics that an addict will use to ensure a false negative on their drug testing results. Addicts can be very creative and consistently come up with new ways to beat the system. Soteria Screening Labs also offers hair follicle testing to establish a prolonged history of drug or alcohol use. This test is not susceptible to short layoff periods or chemical altering.

Reasonable Suspicion

If you are fairly certain that this employee is using some product that you might not want influencing them at work, prove it. Frequently, the employer will have received many complaints from co-workers and associates. Watch the employee performing his job. When you see evidence that something appears to be affecting his work performance, test him. Document reasonable suspicion, including discussing your concerns with the employee. Have another employee, preferably from HR, document evidence. Then you can request a drug test due to reasonable suspicion. Provide transportation to the lab and back. Send the employee home for the day with pay until results are available. If the test comes back positive, you do not have to pay for that day and you have a legitimate reason to fire him immediately.

If this employee does not test positive, and you still want to terminate, review your state guidelines for discharging. Also, if this is a good employee, call him to your office and talk to him. There may be a medical condition or prescribed medication that is affecting your employee. Do not assume that your employee is on illicit medications without evidence. There may be medications needed to help the employee function better.

Soteria Screening Labs can provide you with the drug screening results you need to identify any illicit drugs and some prescription medications. Contact our experts to help you make a more informed decision regarding your employees.