Verified Document

Impact Of Ethics On Decision-Making Term Paper

¶ … Employee Drug Testing Is it Ethical or an Invasion of Privacy?

Last Christmas, I took a part-time job as a cashier in a retail store. On the same day that I was hired, the manager informed me that I would have to submit to a drug test. Since I'm drug free, I had no problem with this. I asked him where I needed to go to complete the test and he proudly informed me that all of the drug screens were done right there on site. I was a little surprised by this, afterall it was a store -- not a lab -- but I didn't really let it throw me that much. The manager then reached into his desk and handed me a large plastic cup that was sealed in a plastic bag. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable at this point.

Here you go." He said, as he handed the bag to me. "Just take this into the ladies room and fill it up to the line in the center. Maggie will accompany you."

Okay. Now here's where it begins to get really creepy. The woman named Maggie not only followed me to the ladies room, but she followed me in and there were not stalls. I informed her that I would have a hard time providing a urine sample with her watching me. She gave me a weak smile and then told me what she must have told all the others before me, "Honey, you ain't got nothin' I ain't seen before."

Not really finding much comfort in her words, I decided to give it a try. After five minutes of standing over the cup, I informed her that I couldn't do it with her in the room.

None of the others had a problem with it. Besides, we've gotta make sure that the urine sample is really yours before we test it."

After fifteen more minutes, I was able to fill the cup to the requisite line and hand it off to Maggie. I washed my hands and walked out of the store. The same day Maggie called me...

I never went back.
This scenario is probably not very common, but pre-employment and random drug testing at work is becoming the norm for the workforce of the 21st century.."..in the old days, it was rare for someone to come to worked stoned on drugs or for managers to have to worry about coke heads in the office." (Castro et al., 1986) Not anymore. Illegal drugs have become so pervasive in the U.S. workplace that drug tests have become routine in almost every industry.

So is drug testing an ethically defensible practice in the workplace? Should employers be able to test applicants prior to offering employment and then randomly there after for the duration of ones employment with the company?

Most feel that the answer to these questions is a resounding yes. If drug-testing programs are managed properly and allow employees to be treated with dignity and respect they probably do make perfect sense.

Every drug-testing program in the workplace should have clear guidelines and policies that are established and followed. To their credit, many companies that utilize random drug testing actually seek first to rehabilitate workers through an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) or some other type of drug treatment curriculum prior to starting the steps of progressive discipline. "To help put impaired workers on the road to rehabilitation, about 30% of Fortune 500 companies...have established in-house employee assistance programs." (Castro et al.)

In the last ten years, since drug testing has become more common place -- drug use on the job has actually decreased. The number of people that are testing positive for drug use at work dropped noticeably. SmithKline, one of the largest labs that conducts drug screenings reported that in 1994 out of 3.6 million…

Sources used in this document:
References

Castro, Janice, et al. (1986, March). Battling the Enemy Within:

Clarke, Allison (1998, November 19). Law: Randomly Testing Time. Independent, 16.

Companies Fight to Drive Illegal Drugs out of Workplace.

Drug, Alcohol Tests at Work Ruled Acceptable. (2002, July 22). The Toronto Star
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ethics and Decision Making a Definition of
Words: 2275 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Ethics and Decision Making A definition of ethics broadly stated could be as that 'ethics is the science that deals with conduct in so far as this is considered as right or wrong, good or bad.' (Shapiro; Stefkovich, 2001) The word 'Ethics' has its root in the Greek language where ethos was the word used for a custom or usage for individual groups. This later moved on to mean the general

Ethics and Decision Making With
Words: 4532 Length: 15 Document Type: Thesis

In the former approach, tradable goods, money or services are exchanged between buyers and sellers at a rate that is agreeable to all parties. This approach assumes both the buyers and sellers have enough money, services or goods to have their needs met. The latter approach, public provision, is when all is available to those on an as-needed basis. The Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing Association warns that whenever there is government

Decision Making Ethics Is a Philosophical Term
Words: 1233 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Decision Making Ethics is a philosophical term derived from the Greek word "ethos," meaning character or custom (Sims, 1994, p. 16). Ethics, therefore, is not just an ethereal concept belonging to the domain of philosophers and theologists, but a universal phenomenon that pervades the very functioning of individuals and society. Indeed, ethics can be said to be the guiding set of principles, based on which individual character, social and organizational custom

Decision-Making Model
Words: 955 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Decision Making Model Decision making is an important everyday activity which can have far-reaching implications on personal and business matters. People face challenging situations often that require them to make decisions. These decisions usually follow a pattern that has something to do with an individual's personal values and beliefs. Ethical decision making model is one of the most commonly used models today because it takes into account the interests of others.

Decision Making and Accounting Theories Business Owners
Words: 1802 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Decision Making and Accounting Theories Business owners find that they always have to put on business hats when they are starting up or managing their businesses. However in business it is not the owners who are meant to make decisions only, decisions can also be made by employees. When classification of business decisions is done it is on the basis of how predictable that particular decision is. Programmed decisions are those

Ethics in Organizational Decision Making
Words: 1069 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Still, MIT countered "Our mission statement talks about principled, innovative leaders and we take the principled part seriously." (AP Wire, 2005) Part II. The impact of technology on work-related stress Work should be growing less stressful -- given the ubiquity telecommuting, and the increased swiftness and interconnectedness of technical innovation that connects the individual to the workplace via the Internet. (Olson, 2003) However, the easier it becomes to get 'connected' to

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now