Are My Employees On Drugs?

Doctor,

What are the behaviors of employees that would lead you to diagnose or believe that there may be a drug problem?

Regards,

--Nipping The Problem In The Bud

Dear Nipping:

I have little personal expertise with drug abuse behavior. The tell-tale signs, that some who deal with such problems may see, are not so sure as detection of alcohol on the breath, glossy eyes, needle marks on the arm, manic-depressive, absenteeism, or erratic behavior.

Like with lying, employees can carry off drug abuse without detection for some time. Therefore, I recommend that you to be cautious about diagnosing co-workers as drug abusers. Mislabeling one might lead to litigation against you.

Rather, I would approach what might be a drug problem by applying job appraisal standards, and if there is a real safety danger because an employee is drug impaired, there should be general practice of testing all employees in such jobs, as is the case for railroad engineers and airline pilots.

There are many books on the subject of drug abuse and I have read only a few of them. You might also search the web for homepages with medical advice or consult local law enforcement. Good luck.

WEGO is cautious about how we label co-workers,

Bill Gorden

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