|
Blog Wednesday, October 20 2021
 With more than 1.5 million residents, there are plenty of qualified workers in San Antonio.
Employers are looking to fill their openings with the best possible candidates, right? And while interviews, resumes, and credentials are key, they might not be sufficient.
This is where pre-employment drug testing may come in. By screening prospective staff for drugs, your Texas business can get a better sense of the applicant’s lifestyle and ability to perform safely, ethically, and productively on the job.
What Is Pre-Employment Drug Screening? Pre-employment drug screening determines whether applicants are abusing illegal drugs or prescription medications on or off the job. While employers might use random drug tests for employees, we recommend screening all serious applicants before making a hiring decision.
Typically, the job offer is contingent on passing the drug test. This is important across the board, but particularly in industries that involve driving and the use of heavy machinery—like transportation and manufacturing, for instance.
Drug screening may evaluate the applicant’s current or recent use of substances such as:
Drug tests take the form of urine, saliva, or blood tests. There are other options available as well. Employers can curate their list of drugs they want to test and check for substances other than—or in addition to—those highlighted above.
If a drug test comes back positive, you can choose to hire another candidate, or have a conversation with the applicant for more context before making a final decision. Just be sure to prioritize working with law-abiding citizens over those who look well-qualified on paper. Illicit drug use can be highly detrimental on the job and in life, including to those other than the candidate, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
How Can New Applicant Drug Tests Help San Antonio Businesses? Pre-employment drug screening can help Texas companies save time and money, and increase team member productivity. Most importantly, it can promote better workplace safety—reducing the risk of absenteeism and injuries on the job.
Think you might not need to invest in new applicant drug screening? Maybe you got a good sense about someone during an interview, or you simply can’t believe a person with the qualifications you’re seeing might use drugs. While it’s important to trust your intuition, pre-employment drug testing is an important step in the hiring process. Don’t overlook it.
You see, drug use is prevalent in the U.S. A 2019 survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that 57 million Americans above age 12 confessed to using illicit drugs in the last year, with more than 35 million admitting to drug use in the last 30 days.
These figures are staggering. And since employees who use illicit substances are more often to come in late, miss work altogether, change jobs frequently, or be involved in workplace accidents where others are harmed too, you’ll want to have a pre-employment screening program in place.
Better morale, lower turnover, and a more fulfilling company culture are simply an added bonus.
Develop Your Pre-Employment Drug Screening Program Today Is your San Antonio business interested in developing a custom drug screening program?
Would you like more information about the services available at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team will guide you through every step. Look no further if you’re hoping to create or elevate current drug screening protocol. We’ll work with you to develop the solution you need.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more information. Thursday, October 07 2021
 It’s no secret that many nonprofits and other charitable organizations rely entirely on their volunteers. Some volunteers are among their most loyal donors, or vital board members who make a real difference in their community.
Austin is no exception. The people of Bat City do a great job of sustaining the region’s most celebrated nonprofits. They want to help patrons and the world at large.
And while most nonprofits inherently trust their volunteers, a pre-screening protocol is still essential. Even if 99% of your volunteers are well-intentioned, law-abiding citizens, you still want to make sure you are only taking on volunteers who abstain from drugs, can pass a criminal background check (unless their service work is court-ordered, in which case they should be placed carefully), and meet the criteria you’ve set in place to serve your local Austinites.
With that, here are three reasons to create and implement a volunteer screening program:
Does your organization work with vulnerable people like children, the elderly, or survivors of domestic violence? Your goal should above all else be to protect your community. A volunteer screening program can ensure your volunteers are helping for the right reasons, and confirm they’re able to interact with kindness, confidentiality, and empathy on the job.
Not only that, but screening your volunteers can increase safety by understanding the risks involved in taking on new people. For example, someone with a poor driving record shouldn’t be transporting your patrons. They might, however, be a sound fit in another role.
Your board and your patrons will be more trusting if your organization actively works to build an environment of safety and transparency. By developing a volunteer screening program, you can make it clear that you have everyone’s best interests at heart—and that you’re taking every step to increase safety while doing the important work you’re known for.
Speaking of transparency, as we mentioned above, some volunteers are court-ordered, or mandated to complete community service hours in addition to or instead of prison. These volunteers can make a real difference, but in most cases, they shouldn’t work directly with vulnerable groups.
Local organizations are generally celebrated in their area—until something goes wrong. To preserve your nonprofit’s reputation, be sure to screen your volunteers and prevent anything untoward from happening internally or externally. You don’t want a volunteer acting inappropriately in public, and you certainly don’t want a volunteer abusing your finances.
Again, this is where volunteer screening comes in. And since there is no law in place that protects organizations from volunteer liabilities, volunteer background checks really are essential—both in terms of safeguarding your reputation and reducing liability.
Austinites will only trust local organizations until they become a liability. For this reason, screening your volunteers is essential. The right program will help to keep patrons safe and make sure volunteers are placed appropriately, with everyone’s well-being in mind.
Develop Your Volunteer Screening Program Today Is your Austin business interested in developing a custom volunteer program?
Would you like more information about the services we offer at Redstar Backgrounds and DrugScreenKits.com?
Our team will walk you through every step. Look no further if you’re hoping to create or elevate your volunteer screening program. We’ll work with you to curate the solution you need—ensuring your people can do the work your organization has set out to do.
Please contact us for details, or to set up a free consultation. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more information. |
