ees with substance abuse problems is mandatory drug and alcohol testing. The union feels (in opposition to many employer organizations) that such testing is unwarranted on the grounds that:
(1) many tests return false positives;
(2) tests are time specific and often reflect what an employee has taken during off-hours rather than ingestion of alcohol or other substances during work hours;
(3) few testing programs include procedures for challenging findings; and
(4) there are a number of unresolved legal and constitutional issues surrounding testing.
The Executive Council recommends improvement of testing procedures and, where possible, the use of alternative methods of identifying substance abusive employees. Procedures that can be taken relative to these recommendations include the use of collective bargaining procedures to set limits on testing, the design and construction of educational programs informing workers about testing, and organizational encouragement and support for those workers that voluntarily come forward to admit of drug or alcohol problems.
Policy Issue. Googins and Godfrey (1985) note that maximally effective treatment through Employee Assistance Programs goes beyond the micro level of treating individuals. The authors state that if treatment is to be wide-spread throughout the work force as well as long-lasting, then the organizations and institutions employing workers are going to have to change.
The problem regarding change is that there has been, too little research and theoretical work accomplished that specifies the directions of change that organizations need to take. To tie this point to the clinical issue just discussed, one direction of organizational change might be formulating and implementing policy to identify substance abusive employees, policy that is non-punitive in nature and that preserves both the rights and the dignity of employees with substance abuse problems. Howe...