Testing It Up

Staffing firms have become a significant help for organizations that don’t have the time, resources, or expertise to manage employee recruitment and selection processes. Likewise, they are seen by many jobseekers as  an important avenue to score a potential employer because of the network they maintain. Given the critical role they play, it can also be said that they are under constant pressure to carefully search, properly screen, and timely deliver the right candidate to certain jobs required by their clients.

Recently, TestCountry had the privilege to interview Mr. Eric Randolph, the Executive Director of U.S. Staffing Association — a national association that represents independent staffing firms.

From Mr. Randolph, we learned what USSA does and what makes it different from other staffing associations. He also talks about the different pre-employment screening that employees go through before presented to the clients. Additionally, he shares the importance of employment background check and workplace drug testing to both the employees and the organization, and offered jobseekers sound advice about choosing a staffing agency to work with.

Mr. Randolph has more than a decade of experience in marketing, branding, social media, and client fulfillment. He has worked with some of the most talented and inspiring businesspeople today, and he takes great pride in his contributions to the success of the companies he has had the pleasure to work for.

To read the full text of the interview, please visit U.S. Staffing Association: Exclusive Interview With Eric Randolph About Drug Testing in Workplace.

Staffing firms are an important part of the American and international job market and there was no more important event for these businesses this year than the recently held Staffing World 2012.

At this year’s event, author and business strategist Jim Collins gave a keynote address, entitled; Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All.

Great by Choice, also happens to be the title of his recently published book with co-author Marten Hansen.

I used the event’s Twitter feed to see what people were getting out of the convention and many people seemed very taken with Collins’ presentation.

Lisa Crawford from Rochester Hills, MI tweeted; “Just watched a great business speech by author Jim Collins. He is a dynamic speaker! Learned quite a bit from him!”

While Kip Wright; President of TAPFIN, a workforce fulfillment and management consultancy in Houston, TX; followed that with; “Jim Collins’ keynote was amazing. Tremendous insight.”

It’s no wonder that people were singing the praises of Collins’ business acumen. This year saw Collins, described by Forbes magazine as one of the most influential management thinkers alive, talk about building a great business in unpredictable, tumultuous and fast moving times by using the principles of fanatic discipline, empirical creativity, and productive paranoia.

Using the event’s Twitter feed, it was possible to get the gist of Collins’ presentation from following the tweets of others.

The New York Staffing Association set the stage with its tweet; “Welcome to chaos and uncertainty. This is your life. Jim Collins teaches us how to deal with the unknown.”

President of Stark Talent Dane Reese offered some insight into how Collins works by tweeting that Collins “doesn’t just look at success. He studies the contrast between success and failure.”

Darcy from Chicago shared what she learned from Collins by tweeting that to exert a sense of control in a chaotic world, you can’t let conditions alter your plans. You have to keep moving forward.

And moving forward involves having the right people in the right roles in an organization, according to workforce strategist John Thomas’ tweet about Collins’ presentation.

Wolf Metzner tweeted that Collins stated that “7 of your 10 most important decisions are people decisions.” While Reese echoed that sentiment by tweeting that the “single greatest executive skill is making the right people decisions” according to Collins. And Darcy piped in that Collins had said the power of good people decisions are gigantic.

In regards to employees, Catherine Lang-Cline tweeted that Collins said the key is not to motivate people but not to demotivate the motivated people.

And Randy Brockway from Charlotte, NC took away from Collins’ presentation that the “signature of great leadership isn’t personality, it’s humility.”

Part of that humility seems to be acknowledging that leaders alone do not make a business great, but the culture they instill in that business, no matter what the size. That is my own little slice of interpretation based on tweets like ones from fellow keynote speaker and president of the Wiseman Group Liz Wiseman; “A company is not yet great until it can survive multiple generations of leaders and be successful without you,” and “Never confuse a big company with a great company,” both of which she attributed to Collins.

People Plus Inc. tweeted that Collins’ said that greatness is choice and discipline and Lang-Cline followed that up with Collins’ nugget of wisdom that “Being truly disciplined makes you a non-conformist.”

But all companies can get lucky. What makes a great company great, though, according to Collins, is what it does with that luck and fortuitous timing, Reese tweeted Collins as saying.

Technology consulting business owner Shea Putnam tweeted that Collins said it’s possible to measure a company’s return on luck if it uses its lucky breaks to their fullest potential.

Wiseman added an additional soundbite from Collins by tweeting his statement that “the signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency” and People Plus Inc. tweeted Collins’ assertion that “the only mistakes that you learn from are the mistakes you survive. Always be ready to survive.”

Also following on the luck theme, Wiseman shared another of Collins’ statements that “you can only stumble across something if you are moving.”

On the productive paranoia front, which I take as a business watching its internal and external environments for possible trends and threats, Elwood Staffing’s Mike Stockard tweeted that Collins explained; “Productive paranoia helps prepare for every contingency that may stand in the way of our goals.”

Wiseman also tweeted about Collins’ presentation that he told the crowd; “on the big creative bets, get empirical data. Fire bullets and then cannonballs.”

And, finally, Todd Palmer with Diversified Industrial tweeted that Collins championed the value of having a great recruiter and added; “Nice to see our industry endorsed by this business legend.”

Other fascinating tidbits from Staffing World 2012 on Twitter included People Plus Inc.’s tweets that the staffing industry has filled 13 million jobs since October of 2011 and that “employment security isn’t having a job it’s having marketable skills.”

And Haley Marketing Group’s Brad Smith shared that the “most valuable content staffing firms can give is Salary data and hiring best practices.”

Staffing World 2012, presented by the American Staffing Association, was held in Las Vegas from Oct. 9 – 11 and featured keynote presentations from Collins, Wiseman, whose presentation was entitled Multipliers—How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, and Simon Mainwaring, founder of We First, who presented; Use Technology and Social Media to Build Community, Profit, and Positive Impact.

There is only so much you can get out of an event by following it on Twitter but if the outgoing tweets were any indication, it was a successful event with a lot of wisdom shared between presenters and participants.

Many employers, particularly small business owners, are facing serious doubts when it comes to implementing a drug testing policy at work. It makes a valid concern especially if you’re not sure where and how to start. A well-designed workplace drug testing policy is a good preventive strategy for a safe workplace. However, if your drug testing policy is full of loopholes, it won’t take much before you find yourself wading through a slew of lawsuits. Below are four basic steps to make sure your organization is not violating employee rights while keeping your business protected.

1. Outline a clear drug policy. Set a clear drug policy that would define the purpose and goals of the policy; the date the policy will be implemented; the kind of drug tests to be done; the penalty for policy violators; and so forth. The policy should be supportive and not punitive. Likewise, it should be supported by the top management.
2. Educate staff. It’s mandatory to inform all employees – new and existing – about the policy and make a consistent effort to educate everyone about the importance of a workplace drug policy. Managers and supervisors should be trained on the effects of drugs; what the different drugs look like; the popular street names of commonly abused drugs; and the legal responsibilities. This will help managers and supervisors exercise due diligence and proper judgment when dealing with drug-related scenarios at work.
3. Promote policy awareness. Your HR personnel should be able to communicate the policy to everyone at work. Similarly, design information drive programs that will remind your employees about your company’s drug policy.
4. Do Not Forget to Use Employee Assistance Programs. Use the EAPs to help develop a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce. An effective employee assistance program will be a contributing factor in the success of your policy.

There is a reason why there are various ways through which drug testing can be done — it is so that there can be another way of administering it should one way fail.

In the case of a man (who will remain unnamed) who applied to the Police Service in Northern Ireland (PSNI), there was no way that he could submit to a hair follicle drug test. It’s not because he does not want to – but because he cannot, being as it were that he was bald.

This caused a bit of a problem in his bid to enter the police force, as shared in a feature on UrineDrugTesting.org. His baldness prevented him from providing hair samples of up to 3 cm in length. He was likewise unable to provide the alternative – about 200 strands of body hair. This led to his rejection from joining the force, even if he was already     at an advanced stage in his application.

We understand, however, the preference of the police force to use hair follicle testing over urine testing. Testing using hair samples is considered as more effective and accurate; it can detect drug use over a 90-day period and has a better track record at correct identification of substance abusers.

He-who-has-not-been-named (excuse the use of Harry Potter-ese) challenged his rejection, however, saying that the decision was both “irrational” and “discriminatory.” Luckily for him, lawyers for the PSNI did not do a whole lot of arguing and informed the judge on Wednesday that the rejected hopeful will now be reinstated into the recruitment process.

There was a time in corporate America when the company was your boss’ company, and your boss had the right to know everything about the people working for him — from what you drink, which political side you’re on and even who you prayed to at night.

With the rise of the new face of corporate America came trade union movements and the cry for individual rights, and American workers are now demanding that their private lives remain private. This is only right, but there is a line that divides protecting one’s privacy and promoting a safe working environment for all. Despite the many advantages of ensuring drug-free companies, several workers come up with lots of excuses why they don’t want to go through drug testing.

Many workers’ groups call the testing as unfair and unnecessary. They say that it is unfair to subject workers who are not even suspected of drug abuse and whose performances in the workplace are satisfactory. Many of them feel that having to undergo drug testing is an invasion of their privacy and a form of discrimination. It is important to remember, however, that with the many challenges facing today’s workforce, it is of utmost significance to ensure the overall health and safety of everyone in the workplace — and you can do that by establishing a strong drug testing policy that covers all workers, and not only a select few.

In the end, drug testing at work actually protects the interest of the workers — those who use drugs and those who don’t — by promoting a safe and healthy working environment and by allowing the company that provides the workers their jobs to thrive.

If you Google on how to tell if someone is lying about using drugs, the best thing you can get is to watch out how they behave. The sad truth about it is most drug abusers are so used to hiding their addiction that lying about not using — right in your face — becomes second nature. It’s no different when it comes to lying about why their drug tests turned out positive.

Excuse #1: It must be something I ate!

Yes, what we take in can affect what comes out in the drug tests. For example, eating a couple of bagels with poppy seeds in them may cause you to fail a drug test– bu do you think saying that you passed by a bagel store for breakfast would really save you from being investigated over drug abuse? Come on, times have changed, technologies have improved and standards have been modified. You surely didn’t think drug laboratories just stood idly while people claim one after another that their positive results are due to poppy seeds, did you?

Excuse #2:  I had a headache and took some Ibuprofen and Advil.

Over-the-counter drugs may actually help mask some drugs and can even be a valid excuse when someone tested positive in a drug test. Ibuprofen or Advil can produce false positives, along with a long list of drugs that can also mask other drugs like cocaine, opiates, ecstasy or LSD. This is why laboratory staff ask patients to fill out long forms, where you can declare right before the drug tests what kinds of medication you are currently taking. This way, laboratory analysts are able to put these into consideration.

Excuse #3: There must have been a mix-up with the samples!

Laboratories are supervised and monitored closely plus positive drug tests are subjected to automatic confirmatory tests, but it does not mean the system is perfect. So, if you honestly think you haven’t taken drugs yet tested positive on the drug test, ask for a re-testing. Just be sure you really are drug-free. Otherwise, you would just have caused a lot of trouble and a waste of time, effort and money for everyone involved.

Various reports on a ruling in Oregon may be sending shockwaves across medical marijuana advocates. The decision now creates a double-standard in the state’s laws on medical marijuana.

Oregon is one of the states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. However, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled that an employee can get fired for using marijuana for pain relief and nausea – even if the employee has a state-issued marijuana card.

According to a blog post on the Wall Street Journal, the Oregon Supreme Court was asked to “square” the medical marijuana laws with the federal employment law; this can require employers to make accommodations for employees who have disabilities. After all was said and done, the Supreme Court decided that employers are not duty-bound to “tolerate” the use of marijuana – medical or otherwise.

The decision was welcomed by business groups, as is to be expected; these groups feel that they should be free to implement “zero-tolerance” drug policies and should not be obligated to hire applicants who fail drug tests, even if the applicant has a medical marijuana card.

When one tries to analyze the situation though, the decision seems to make the legalization of medical marijuana pointless; it would seem that, okay, you can use medical marijuana for therapy, but, oh wait, we cannot guarantee that you can find work – or keep the one that you have.

This is certainly a setback for medical marijuana advocates and patients who are currently using the drug for therapy.

HRM Report, a site that provides the latest in human resource management news, shared with its readers information on drug and substance abuse testing in the workplace.

Most employers find illegal drug abuse a cause for concern, but drugs are by no means the only substance that employees abuse. This brings to light the importance of implementing a substance abuse testing package that covers other substances that, when abused, can affect the productivity and efficiency of an employee, such as steroids, nicotine and alcohol.

It is, however, important that employers ensure that they have covered every detail before launching a drug testing program, in order to prevent lawsuits by disgruntled and disadvantaged employees, which can be costly.

The feature shares the following to employers who intend to set up a substance abuse testing program: what things should be avoided and what the trends in workplace substance abuse testing are.

Employers designing a drug testing program should ensure that it is not designed for a specific group of “problematic employees”. It is also advised that employers do not simply put a substance testing program in place because all other companies have one.

Substances that a comprehensive testing program should cover include prescription drugs, nicotine, alcohol and steroids. Various methods should also be used, including hair follicle and oral fluid drug testing.

HRM Report readers are being offered an opportunity by TestCountry to download a substance abuse testing package that includes the following:
•    Drug Testing Policy Stock Template ($150 Value)
•    30 Minutes of Phone Time with a Drug Testing Expert for your questions ($100 Value)
•    10 Things to Consider Before You Start or Redesign Your Workplace Drug Testing Policy
•    7 Places Employees Hide Drugs in the Workplace
•    3 Obstacles to Overcome when Implementing Workplace Drug Testing
•    Most Popular Drug Test Cheating Methods

A feature on MSNBC got us thinking: how welcome is medical marijuana in the workplace, at least in states where it is deemed legal? What kind of protection do the laws of a state that govern medical marijuana provide to the people who use them?

Joseph Casias, a Wal-Mart associate working in Battle Creek, Michigan who is suffering from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor was reportedly fired from his job – because he tested positive for marijuana use. He has been using marijuana since last summer; it was prescribed by his doctor to help deal with the pain that he has to endure because of his condition, since a therapy that consists of traditional pain killers alone was not as effective.

Casias said in the article, though, that he did not use marijuana while on duty and did not go to work high. Still, one morning, he was suddenly called into the store manager’s office and was informed that he had been fired. Casias shared: “I never thought I would be terminated for this. At first I thought, ‘This wasn’t true. How could this be right?’”

Casias tested positive for the drug after suffering from a knee injury while on the job. A spokesperson for Wal-Mart, Greg Rossiter, said however that while the company was sympathetic to Casias’ condition, “we have to consider the overall safety of our customers and associates, including Mr. Casias, when making a difficult decision like this.”

At the same time, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Health of the State of Michigan, James McCurtis, said that a person who has a medical marijuana card and uses the drug for medical purposes should not be discriminated.

 

Michigan Drug Screening

 

Annual drug tests in the workplace, while necessary, can have an impact on a company’s productivity level – at least in some industries. Having employees skip work for half a day to go in for testing at a separate facility is a costly proposition for some establishments.

A firm for drug and alcohol testing solutions, Guardian Testing Services, is offering an option to address this concern, at least in the Cincinnati area: on-site specimen collection. According to a press release on PRUrgent, the company can provide “a team of certified specimen collectors throughout the Cincinnati area.”

Joe Vroman, founder of Guardian Testing Services, shares: “By providing on-site specimen collections, we completely eliminate the need to have employees leave their place of business in order to travel to a drug specimen collection facility. This service results in much less time away from the job site and a huge financial savings by not having to pay employees while they travel to and from the collection site.”