The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has ruled that the dismissal of a NSW car salesman for cocaine use at work and influencing a co-worker to do it with him was not unjust, unreasonable or harsh, says Kirsten Robb in a report for Smart Company. (more…)
It is but normal for employers to become increasingly concerned about the growing incidences of substance abuse in the workplace. Many employers, however, have decided to take action instead of worrying about it. They developed drug policies for their companies, with most of them instituting drug tests in the workplace in accordance with those policies.
The question is, are drug tests effective? Are these drug testing programs effective in deterring current and potential employees from using marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs? The answer is a resounding yes.
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The State of Ohio has recently launched a new campaign that aims to help businesses that are worried about the rising levels of substance abuse among workers. (more…)
A growing number of students are reportedly turning to prescription drugs as stimulants in order to strike a balance between their studies, jobs, and social lives, says Eliza Edwards and Andrew Purcell in an article for The Sydney Morning Herald. (more…)
Like most governments, the United Kingdom’s drug policy is centred on the prohibition of addictive drugs. That policy, however, may be doing more harm than good, says Alexander Tyndall in an article for TES Connect.
For a long time, businesses have been allowing cigarette breaks for their employees who smoke, but the results of a US study may make them change their minds about it. An article written by Rachel Wells for The Sydney Morning Herald says the study reveals that each employee who takes cigarette breaks costs companies more than $3,000 a year.
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With heavy drinking considered as a cultural norm in Australia, it is very likely that you have a colleague at work who is technically an alcoholic. More often than not, however, the managers or supervisors in your workplace haven’t really done much about it, especially when the company you’re working for doesn’t have a clear drug and alcohol policy in place.
Still, it is the responsibility of employers and managers to deal with an alcoholic in the workplace, especially when that alcoholic is already starting perform poorly at work. Intervention becomes even more urgent if the employee is assigned to a safety-sensitive job.
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Despite having drug prohibition policies in place, the drug trade in Victoria continues to rise dramatically, and Greg Barns is labelling those policies as failed ones in an article for The Age.