Drug testing rules may impede recruitment efforts
Reprints
Construction companies face a dilemma when it comes to testing workers for marijuana use: In a tough labor market, do they risk deterring job candidates by testing applicants, or do they eliminate tests and risk taking on workers who may come to work impaired?
“It puts employers in a very, very difficult position on the front end if they start restricting,” said Mike Schechter, general counsel and director of labor relations for the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota.
Employers that attempt to clamp down through zero tolerance drug policies could encounter difficulties with recruitment, Mr. Schechter said.
“We’re hearing from so many people that because of all these states now with medical and recreational (marijuana), it’s hard to find workers who are going to pass” drug tests, said Marianne Karg, West Lake, Ohio-based vice president of Mobile Medical Corp., which provides occupational drug testing.
Construction companies already face challenges finding laborers, and instituting strict no-cannabis policies might put employers in a difficult spot, said Michael Jorda, a New York-based risk control consultant with Lockton Cos. LLC.
The issue varies by state, Mr. Jorda said. Some states, for example, permit random drug testing of workers while others prohibit it. And some states have passed laws banning preemployment marijuana testing.
Bill Howard, another New York-based risk control consultant with Lockton, said the pool of construction job candidates is already limited, and instituting another restraint in the form of marijuana testing in legal marijuana states could make it more difficult to find workers.
