Employers in the United States have been surveyed numerous times in various ways and typically indicate that drug and alcohol abuse is a serious problem. Most employers do not look at the social impact of abuse as much as they do the economical impact - especially the impact to their own bottom line. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Management Association, approximately 81 percent of major U.S. firms have implemented comprehensive drug and alcohol free workplace programs to address the problem. Various companies in our coalition have conducted their own surveys of their employees. Those studies have revealed, without exception, that the majority of employees support the programs and believe they make a difference.
Employers obviously believe the programs are working.
And companies just do not spend money on strategies that they do not believe provide a return on their investment. Testing was selected over other strategies because it is the newest strategy being utilized in the workplace. I would like to point out that we do not believe that drug testing in and of itself is the panacea to the drug problem. We do however, believe that it is a vital part of an overall comprehensive approach to the problem. To examine the attitudes of employers about drug control strategies such as drug testing and employee assistance programs.