Drug Testing in the Workplace: Everything You Need to Know

Introduction and Summary of Article 

Recent years have witnessed increased monitoring and surveillance at the workplace due to technological advances and new techniques. Organizations use various methods and technologies to improve performance and minimize costs. Workplace drug testing is one of the methods used to boost productivity and efficiency. The article, A Discussion of the Ethical Implications of Random Drug Testing in the Workplace , examines the scientific and the ethical effects of drug testing in the workplace. The author focuses on the ethical consequences of the Drug Free Workplace Program (DFWP) (Christie, 2015) . He uses descriptive and normative analyses to examine these effects. The article concludes that workplace drug testing is associated with various ethical challenges and may have a negative impact on workplace safety. 

Evidence Supporting Main Point 

The study uses principles of evidence-based decision-making to ascertain and assess applicable literature. The author mentions that although organizations use drug-testing techniques to reduce accident incidents, no randomized trial was used to establish a relationship between intervention and outcome. Existing trials fail to provide the causal impact of drug testing on relevant results. The article further affirms that nearly 5900 studies suggested insufficient evidence on using the drug-testing method (Christie, 2015) . 

Relevance of Article to Personal/Professional Life 

This article is relevant to my personal and professional life because it makes me aware that drug testing may be insufficient in improving efficiency and productivity and minimizing workplace injury rates. Furthermore, it makes me discover that this technique has adverse effects on employees, implying that its negative impact outweighs its safety gains. However, I learn that drug testing is applicable and acceptable in cases where an employee received substance abuse treatment and is suspected of being impaired at the workplace. 

Relevance of Article to Organization 

This article is relevant to organizations because it confirms that although workplace drug testing is gaining popularity in the contemporary corporate world, it harms the productivity and morale of employees. Moreover, it informs organizations that the available research evidence on drug testing effectiveness is insufficient, implying that organizations have no reason to adopt and implement this technique. The article also reminds organizations that this method fails to meet the applicable ethical standards because of insufficient evidence. 

Role of Leadership in Corporate Culture 

Leadership nurtures company culture through employee engagement by empowering employees to realize organizational objectives and achieve the organization's mission. Leadership styles are variables that describe how leaders interact with their followers to inspire their behavior. These styles influence ethical decision-making by shaping ethical and moral leaders who encourage, inform, and incentivize their group members to behave ethically and obey formal policies. Furthermore, leadership styles determine ethical decision-making by defining leaders’ awareness levels, role modelling, and ability to integrate values into their decisions. 

Inherent Unethical Practices of Drug Testing 

Although most organizations implement drug testing technique, this method is associated with various inherent unethical practices. First, it intrudes on individual privacy rights, implying that it is unfair in the current free and democratic society. Second, drug testing is invasive since it requires employees to expose and submit themselves, resulting in physical and psychosocial imposition. Third, it presents ethical and moral risks since the information obtained during drug testing can be used for other purposes unrelated to the employment agreement. 

Conclusions Drawn About Ethical Issues 

Business leaders face countless ethical issues in the current complex business environment. These issues revolve around ethical decision-making, compliance with core values, accommodating diversity, and promoting integrity. They include accounting, privacy, social media, discrimination, health, and safety issues. In this case, business leaders should develop and require members to abide by the codes of conduct and ethics. They also have a responsibility of gaining the trust of employees to encourage them to behave ethically. 

Reference 

Christie, T. (2015). A discussion of the ethical implications of random drug testing in the workplace. Sage Journals, 28 (4), 172-174.