Drug Test Issue Again

C Wilson · July 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-20-05 AT 11:43AM (CST)[/font][br][br]My general manager now wants me to write an amendment to our drug testing policy that would request the top three prospective candidates for any department head position to take a drug test before the offer is made!

Here is a little clarification. This is an external hire. We do have a pre-employment drug test policy. However, the GM wants to amend the policy for the department head positions. We are a private country club and anyone hired at the department head level must be approved by a committee made up of board members (the GM’s superiors). The GM’s fear is that he will present the candidate he has selected to the committee for approval and he would “look stupid” if he allowed someone to get that far in the hiring process and then they failed a drug test.

I know that this is not logical thinking, but this is the GM’s thought process and this is just one of the many strange things he has tried to do.

POPEYE · July 2005

Maybe you need to send your GM for a drug test!!!!

C Wilson · July 2005

I would like to send him somewhere!

LivindonSouth · July 2005

Tell him it is cheaper to just send the top candidate and tell him/her the job offer is contingent on passing the company physical and drug screen. If the top candidate fails, go on to the next candidate. He would be setting himself up for huge challenges if he required physical examinations prior to job offers. Although the drug screen does not rise to that level of concern, it is a total waste of money and makes no sense.

Disclaimer: This message is not intended to offend or attack. It is posted as personal opinion. If you find yourself offended or uncomfortable, email me and let me know why.

lhill · July 2005

Requiring a drug test of 3 candidates (I'm assuming these are already employees who are being promoted) takes it out of the realm of random tests, therefore I see a potential for discrimination. I agree with making it post offer then moving down the line. Is it in your drug free workplace policy to drug test as a condition of promotion? If these are indeed current employees you would then have to abide by your policy as to what disciplinary actions are taken. If, however, these are applicants from outside the company, I would follow the usual policy which would be post offer, contingent upon passing drug test and physical.

Linda

pork1 · July 2005

In our testing of urine speciment for drugs, our policy outlines that we can request a urine sample for testing : for cause, need to, or want to; any refusal to provide a urine sample for testing is a terminating even, likewise, the positive result will also get one terminated on the spot.

PORK

paulbe · July 2005

Seems like this could be resolved if you had a pre employment drug testing policy. A conditional offer of employment could be made upon successful completion of a pre employment drug test. Why does the GM want to do this anyway?

Are these internal candidates or from the public at large. In our program if they were internal candidates, and were participating in a recognized random drug testing program, we could waive the pre employment test.

LivindonSouth · July 2005

Who says these are internal candidates for an internal promotion? Maybe I just didn't GET it. I didn't read it that way, but could change my mind set if it were clarified.

Disclaimer: This message is not intended to offend or attack. It is posted as personal opinion. If you find yourself offended or uncomfortable, email me and let me know why.

C Wilson · July 2005

These are not internal candidates. We do have a preemployment testing policy, however the G.M. wants to amend the policy and have different criteria for the hiring of department heads. We are a private country club and hiring anyone at the department head level involves a presenting the top candidate to a committee of the members for approval. The idea behind the G.M.'s convoluted thought process is that he doesn't want to present a candidate to the committee for approval before they are drug tested because he would look stupid if he allowed someone to get that far in the hiring process and then he/she failed a drug test.

Believe me, I have tried reasoning him but, it is a lost cause. He definitely marches to a different drummer.

Half HR · July 2005

I agree with other folks that this makes no sense. It doesn't take long to get drug test results, so why not make the conditional offer and send them for the test? You'll get results within a day or two.

Also, it's really unlikely that any of the results are going to be positive. I think it's a wasted expense.

More car accidents are caused by OTC antihistamines than illegal drugs, anyway.

Half HR

Rockie · July 2005

You need to administer this policy consistently. You cannot single out "director candidates" and treat them any differently than you would the greenskeepers, etc. If you do, you are opening yourself up to all type of challenges. I'd say if you do this for the director candidates, then you need to do the same for the top three in ALL categories. Just be consistent one way or the other.

Drug Test Issue Again

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