Content area
Full Text
Desperate to fill open positions, some employers are beginning to soften zero-tolerance drug policies, particularly for jobs where safety is not an essential function.
Low unemployment and increasing use of illegal drugs are narrowing the pool of qualified workers in many regions and industries. State laws allowing medical and recreational use of marijuana are complicating recruiters' efforts to find drug-free employees, as is the continued abuse of prescription opioids.
[SHRM members-only policy: Drug and Alcohol Policy]
There are no indications that employers are relaxing standards for jobs that are safety-critical. Some such positions, including airline pilots and truck drivers, are regulated by the federal government and have strict prohibitions against drug use. However, HR and drug testing industry leaders say some employers are taking a new look at—and in some cases relaxing—their drug policies for positions that entail relatively low risk of injury or error, such as clerical and knowledge economy jobs.
"Anecdotally, there are some employers who have relaxed their standards. It's unclear how widespread it is," said Rick Farrant, a spokesman for Northeast Indiana Works, a nonprofit workforce development organization based in Fort Wayne, Ind., that assists mostly health care and manufacturing employers.
"There's more flexibility out there. There's not a bright-line policy like there used to be," said Robert Capwell, chief knowledge officer of Baltimore-based pre-employment screening firm Employment Background Investigations Inc. "It's based on individualized assessment."
Drug abuse remains rampant in the U.S. Marijuana and opioids are not the only problems. Cocaine and methamphetamine abuse continues to rise nationally, according to the Quest Diagnostics 2017 Drug Testing Index.
The percentage of job applicants who test positive for illegal...