DataDome Blog

Twelve Questions to Ask
When Selecting a Drug Testing Program

• Which drugs are detected (SAMHSA, NIDA-5 drug panel)?
• What levels of drugs are detected?
• What is the usage time window for each drug that the test will detect?
• What regulatory agencies have approved and validated the test?
• Is this form of testing legal in the state and industry in which it would be given?
• What drug confirmation technology is used?
• Is it cost-effective and convenient?
• Are special facilities, training, scheduling fees, or travel required?
• Is it an approved and valid test, or only a drug “screen” that will require additional testing elsewhere?
• What is the turnaround time for results?
• How is chain-of-custody protected?
• How easy would it be to introduce adulterants to the sample?

Warning! Drug abusers have many options to try to “beat” a urine test. See, for instance, the Whizzinator.

Instead, consider oral drug testing, or assessments for workplace attitudes, opinions, and integrity.

• Intercept Oral Fluid Drug Testing – A user-friendly oral drug swab protocol that can be administered right in your office during the interview.
• Select Pre-Employment Screening System – Identifies hourly customer service, healthcare, call center, warehouse/distribution, entry-level sales/service providers with stable work-related personality characteristics and productive work behaviors.
• E-Net Hire Workplace Attitudes – Analyzes up to 16 positive and negative behaviors you select as being important to the job.
• Orion Opinion Survey – Measures specific job-relevant attitudes. Standard, customer service, and safety versions.

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How We Stress Someone Out in Style

(DISC Style, that is)

A stress style is a reserve style of behavior that emerges when one feels “at the end of my rope” and “just can’t take it anymore.” Different behavioral styles find different situations more stressful than others. Using the most basic DISC behavioral style attributes, here are some typical stressors. Don’t try these at work!

Stress Out a High D
Block and threaten their personal goals. They can’t take their foot off the gas, so make them hit the brakes as well. Get in their way, move slowly, make a lot of small talk. Take advantage of them. Create a wall of obstructionist bureaucrats toward which they must submit. Waste their time whenever possible. Whine!

Stress Out a High I
Splash water on their enthusiasm. Dampen their optimism. Frown when they smile, and talk down to them. Don’t let them speak up, and forbid them from expressing their views and opinions. Don’t let them show any emotion, not even to gesture. Get down to business immediately, and treat them like objects. Take away their phone and their workmates!

Stress Out a High S
Change the rules and processes. Without warning, change them again. Suddenly change direction. And again, faster. Change expected results of routine actions. Question their loyalty. Don’t prioritize. Don’t be available for clarifications. Give them way too much to do by day’s end, then threaten their job!

Stress Out a High C
Criticize their work. Deny them time – rush them, send them to useless training and pointless discussion. Force them into immediate decisions and commitments. Deny them sufficient information for making decisions. Give them lousy equipment, don’t let them upgrade. Randomize processes and procedures. Give them erratic and emotional responses, forcing them to release projects before they can be checked or tested. Change plans – arbitrarily and often – and don’t let them finish anything!

Leadership Tips: Five Ways to Lead the Way to Less Stress

Real leadership inspires voluntary commitment, not just grudging compliance. Here are a few tips for dealing with stress behaviors.

• Identify and be aware of your own stress behaviors. Don’t contribute to the problem.
• Acknowledge the stress behavior. We all have rough days – give the benefit of the doubt.
• Avoid “pushing the style buttons” of a person exhibiting stress behavior (see above).
• Adapt your own style to that of others, with behaviors that meet the needs of those you lead. Don’t lead like you would want to be led. Lead like they want to be led.
• Identify elements in the work environment that can be adjusted to minimize style-based stressors.

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The looming talent shortage requires new workforce management strategies.

• Managing talent
  Rethink productivity approaches – move strategy into project and team models of efficiency. Hire better using assessments.
• Rising health care costs
  Providing cost-effective health care will help you be competitive as well as keep talent.
• Linking pay to performance
  Focus on the development of balanced and efficient teams, make sure everyone understands where the fit into the big picture, reward performance.
• Employee demands for flexible work schedules
  Working where and when they want to is possible with a project-based approach.
• Telecommuting
  More and more in demand for Gen X and younger. Optimize communication networks to make it possible.
• Growing demand for more time off
  Time allowed to “recharge the batteries” is a powerful incentive, and can be tied to productivity.
• Lower HR staff-to-employee ratios
  Fewer staff will have more to handle, so strategize now to streamline procedures, and use validated multi-use tools for the life cycle of the employee.
• Workplace privacy issues
  Transparency, ethics, and open discussion will be assets. Collaborate on policies to protect company interests while also limiting invasions of employee privacy.
• Employee demand for customized employment relationships
  Start development of new niche worker arrangements.

(top worries based on the SHRM “Workplace Forecast: A Strategic Outlook.”)

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