2007-04-13

Invasive Procedures

A friend of mine has been in his job for years but recently the company was bought by an American firm. Now it's introduced random drug and alcohol testing. This appears to be legal in the U.S. but here there's controversy because it probably contradicts the 1998 Human Rights Act. (Europeans have rights, you know. Rights feel good.)

This really is about a friend of mine and not me, by the way. Though I think I'm more outraged by it than he is. It's obviously not a good idea to show up to work drunk or hungover but, beyond that, if your private life isn't affecting your output, it shouldn't be any of your employer's business. Your performance reviews have always been tip-top and your supervisor is totally happy with you but they won't call you loyal until they can take something out your body to prove it? I don't want to live in a world where this is considered normal. For our children's sake, resist!

Of course, in certain judgmental circles, objecting to being tested on moral grounds is an admission of being a filthy drug-using scumbag yourself and you'll be branded before anyone else gets their results back from the lab. There are safer ways to "fight the pee-sniffers".

My local hypermarket sells divorce paperwork packs now, near the A/V section. They should do Request To Test forms next - though don't buy one in Bristol or the first question is likely to be, What's the big deal stealing my tetrahydracannabinol (T.H.C.) when I paid for it? Rasklaat.

3 Comments:

Blogger James Lindsay said...

Drug and alcohol testing? ~phew~ From the title, I thought I was going to have to sit (gingerly) through a post about a visit to the proctologist.

21:26  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess I never thought much about it before, but I think you're right about the invasiveness. However, there are a lot of jobs out there in which the employer might not have a lot of contact with the employees. I'm thinking something like a carpet installer or plumber or something. I think I'd feel better knowing that the dude coming to my house is subjected to periodic drug testing and so forth.

I had to pee in a cup to work for Target, though, and that just doesn't make sense. Being high probably would have made me want to stay working there.

22:22  
Blogger thisismarcus said...

Kat: I'd hope they could find better ways to check if an employee is showing up to work 'under the influence'.

But if my friend has one 'recreational cigarette' at a party on the weekend (i.e. in his private life) they could sack him for it for up to three months afterwards. While someone else could drink a bottle of wine every night and not worry about a thing! I'll be the company bitch Mon-Fri 9am-6pm but outside of work I'm beholden only to my friends/family, the rules of social contact and the law.

Hey, I had a soapbox moment!

11:15  

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