Know Your Rights: What Is Reasonable Suspicion Drug Testing?

Have you ever gotten a job, and the next step is submitting to an employee drug test? Typically, employees must be drug tested before they are given a job, in the event of an accident at work, and if an employer has suspicions.

When an employer has reasonable suspicion of drug testing, it means that some things are going on with the employee, which isn’t normal. In this article, we are going to go into depth about what that means exactly.

Reasonable Suspicion Drug Testing: What Is It?

Reasonable suspicion drug testing is also known as for-cause drug testing. It’s when your employer suspects that you may be under the influence of a substance while you are at work due to your behavior or actions leading them to request a drug test.

The employer’s suspicion may come from observations that have been made by other employees or by situations that they have witnessed firsthand.

How Drug Testing Is Implemented In The Workplace

Every place you work should have a written policy in the handbook that employees can review whenever they have a question. The policy should detail the employers to have the right to drug test employees when they have a suspicion that the employee is endangering themselves and others in the workplace.

The policy should also detail what happens if the employee fails the drug testing. In many policies, when an employee fails a drug test, there are times when the employer may send you to rehab, or the failed drug test may result in immediate termination.

In addition to the written policy in the handbook, all employees should be subjected to training annually that helps to refresh their memory on all workplace policies.

Signs That Would Cause Suspicion

There are some signs that employers are on the lookout for causing them to suspect an employee is under the influence. The first is that the employee smells of alcohol, whenever you’ve been drinking, the smell of the alcohol begins to excrete itself from your pores, causing everyone around you to detect the alcohol.

Another reason your employer may be suspicious of you is that you are acting confused about how to do your job. This is suspicious because you would assume that someone doing the same position for a couple of years wouldn’t come to work randomly and forget how to do their job.

Along with acting confused about how to do their job, the employee may act impulsively. Instead of thinking about their actions, they act without warning, which may harm themselves or others.

The Finale

When your boss feels they have reasonable suspicion of drug testing, then you must adhere to the test. Remember, policies are in place that ban the use of drugs and alcohol within the workplace to keep yourself and everyone safe.

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