NO DRUG TESTING: Companies are removing marijuana drug tests in a bid to expand their workforce.
One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s massive drawbacks was, and still is, the global labor shortage, forcing companies to come up with creative ways to hire more employees.
Now, according to a survey conducted by ManpowerGroup, 9% of more than 45,000 firms worldwide have already eliminated marijuana drug tests in an attempt to fill vacant positions, Daily Mail reports.
The controversial discovery comes after the e-commerce giant Amazon announced it would no longer test its applicants for marijuana. The survey explains:
“The global talent shortage shows no sign of slowing, with 69 percent of employers reporting difficulty filling roles. The employment outlook is optimistic, particularly for employers that are prepared to adapt to a new world of work and offer incentives to attract and retain the talent they need.”
What’s more, the Current Consulting Group’s annual employer drug testing review also found many businesses are trying to build up their workforce by eliminating drug testing policies.
The Current Consulting Group’s survey reveals that 36% of the companies that removed their drug testing policies did it in order to fill vacant positions. As more states have already passed recreational marijuana legislation, about half of those firms were also concerned about lawsuits and the legal liability of testing for the drug.
In June, Amazon’s CEO of Worldwide Consumer, Dave Clark, stated:
“We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation, and will instead treat it the same as alcohol use. We will continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident.”
Furthermore, as per Bloomberg, Amazon asked its delivery partners to prominently advertise that they do not screen candidates for marihuana use. According to the online marketplace, this would boost the number of job applicants by 400%.
Moreover, Amazon predicts that THC screening can cut promising workers by around 30%.
One of the companies following Amazon’s example is Apcore Logistics, a delivery partner based in Portland, Oregon. A message right at the top of their listing says: “No THC Drug Testing.”
Another Portland-based company, Lattitude Logistic, tells its candidates: “NO Cannabis testing! Bonuses every Paycheck!”
Western Australian employers agree that drug testing has caused headaches to fill in the labor shortages. As per Vice, in 2020, the state government introduced mandatory drug testing policies, despite marijuana being decriminalized in the country.
Additionally, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Steve McKenny, owner of a butchery company, said:
“We’ve tried many different media outlets, different sorts of ads, different angles, word of mouth – not even a phone call. If we put a sign up we would easily get 40 or 50 applicants. But if the sign says ‘must submit to drug testing’ it’s down to four or five.”
