Does your company have a reasonable suspicion provision in your Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy? If not, you should consider it. Your company has the right to require all employees to come to work unimpaired. You can test employees if you have a reason to suspect they are impaired on the job.
If there is reason to suspect that an employee is under the influence, be sure to document everything thoroughly. You’ll need to take note of your direct observations. Be sure to include appearance, odor, behavior, and any work performance issues that support reasonable suspicion testing. Without the proper procedures and policies in place, your company could be at risk for legal and financial penalties.
It is common for employers to just report the requested test as a “random” test. If you go this route, you are opening the door for legal liabilities. While it is possible to order random testing, it’s not the appropriate option for reasonable suspicion and can lead to legal issues.
The provision can be difficult to define and execute. Blueline Services provides employers and management teams in-depth training to help with recognizing impairment and executing the provision. Being able to recognize impairment and properly ordering reasonable suspicion tests is critical for your organization to avoid any legal issues.
Additional training is available to help you create a detailed Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy that includes an in-depth reasonable suspicion provision. Reach out to us at Blueline Services today to get started.