Drug testing at work

Even if you keep your nose clean at work, many UK companies are adopting drug-testing practices that could land you in hot water. Here's the skinny:

Why check for drugs?

Your boss could argue numerous health and safety reasons, which is fair enough if you drive the school bus or perform open-heart surgery. Otherwise their concern may centre on productivity and attendance rates, as well as legal implications should you screw up because you're mashed on the job.

But I don't do drugs at work

Just as it takes some time for your body to rid itself of any alcohol you may have sunk the night before, so the presence of certain drugs can be detected some time after the effects have worn off. Cannabis, in particular, can crop up in a urine test up to one month after use, basically because it isn't soluble in water.

That's an invasion of my privacy!

Civil liberties groups suggest it may be an infringement of human rights in cases where recreational drug use has no effect on work performance and safety.

Do I have rights here?

In America, almost half of all private companies require workers to submit to random tests, or even incorporate it into the recruitment procedure. UK companies are beginning to follow suit, arguably because it stops insurance premiums from soaring. Ultimately, if you're aware of a firm's hiring and firing policy, or you've signed a contract that includes a clause about drug and alcohol testing, your career is in the lap of the lab.