You're right, but also it's to get cheaper business insurance. Because businesses that don't test have to pay more to insure themselves. If you own a business, you have to buy insurance for the business to ensure that if your business gets sued, it's the business that takes the hit, not you personally.
I worked for a US company in the past and in my contract there was a phrase that I'm going to paraphrase. "Can be sent to unannounced drug tests (US only)"
This isn't a worldwide issue.
All it does is punish addicts trying to get back on their feet. For anyone else, you can just get a drink to clear you out the day before or just pretend that your prescription medications are causing a false positive.
Always thought they were ridiculous and intrusive. So long as you show up sober and do your job properly who the fuck cares what you do in your off time? I'm the director for a nonprofit. I'm a huge stoner and my boss (executive director) was a hippie back in the day lol. I love hearing her wild drug stories from the 70's and 80's lmao. I'm also pretty open with my employees about the fact that I smoke weed. Turns out most of them do too! I always come well dressed, usually in a suit with a clean haircut, so I love seeing their faces when I tell them I'm a pot head lmao
Anyway, my employees are all very hard workers and I can tell they enjoy working here. The fuck would I ruin that by drug testing?
What really blows my mind is that some employers in the US test for nicotine usage now and can deny you a job, or fire you for using a perfectly legal, non mentally impairing substance.
I applied to work for Discover and they told me about their policy. I told them to pound sand.
That's usually about health insurance. Keeps their premiums down if they offer health as a benefit. Doesn't make it right, but it is not a morality thing on the firm's part.
It's stupid because most jobs are so fucking dull and easy, being on drugs is the only way to get any stimulation at them.
Does this community work like r/unpopularopinion where you're supposed to upvote if you disagree and downvote otherwise? I agree, but I'm not sure which action to take.
I upvote if the opinion is genuinely unpopular, regardless of whether or not I agree, and taking into account that agreement in this subreddit does not mean agreement in life.
There are a lot of things that are popular on lemmy, or even just online, that are deeply unpopular opinions, and I think those should get upvotes here.
The last job I worked at said they reserved the right to drug test at any time. Thankfully they never did, because I use cannabis to treat pain for a rare nerve disorder and I would be in pretty serious pain all the time if I didn't. But I was basically ready to stand up to them and say, "I'm not taking the test. I use cannabis. It's legal one state over, which is where I buy it. I don't get high when I'm working. If you want to fire me for it, have fun finding a new employee."
IIRC, many industries still get tax breaks and financial incentives for doing so.
It's an insurance thing. Gotts have business insurance. Can't get that unless you can show that at least pretend to not have drug users working there. A drug test is the best way to show that effort.
Depends on the job. I don't know that I want my kids teacher on meth, or an airline pilot on speed or whatever. Working in education and the aviation industry (and military) are the only times I've been required to take a drug test. Don't know why it would be mandatory for certain industries. Like. Is my food not going to make it to the table from the kitchen because the waiter smoked a joint before his shift?
So what's the alternative? Have employees in an altered state attempting to do their jobs? Recreational drug users love to play the victim because they don't think their use negatively affects anyone, much in the same way a drunk driver thinks they can drive fine while drunk.
not invade everyone's privacy because you're pretending there's some tremendous concern here. you're playing the victim right now acting like it's dangerous and offensive that a Recreational Drug User in an Altered State could commit the horrible crime of trying to hold down a job despite chemical dependency and people like you trying to make their lives harder at every turn
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