Implications of drug and polygraph test
Insecurity within organizations in terms of dishonesty has led to organizations turning to the polygraph test as the ultimate way to ensure that employees are honest in their workplaces. Besides, organizations have embarked on drug testing as a way of curbing numerous accidents that arise due to drug use among employees.
Drug and polygraph tests may help organizations to improve their profit margin by making sure that employees are honest in their operations and that no accidents or damages occur within the workplaces due to drug use by employees (Giacalone & Greenberg,1997).
Nevertheless, the testing has negative implications on organizational culture. One of the negative effects of drug and polygraph testing on the organizational culture is that it kills the spirit of hard work. Most employees perceive the process of drug test like urine collection as demeaning and degrading.
Moreover, the move infringes into the employees’ privacy. All workers going through the process are required to share information regarding the drugs they have been prescribed to in the past. This infringement demoralizes employees leading to most of them not committing themselves to organizational goals. Polygraph testing makes employees to develop the feeling that employers do not trust them.
In return, their loyalty and commitment to the organization decreases leading to such employees cutting down on the level of their commitment to organizational goals (Jacobs & Justice, 2006). Employee commitment depends on how they relate with their employers.
Conducting polygraph test creates the feeling of not being respected and dignified amongst employees. Hence, employees express their dissatisfaction through abdication of duties, which kills the culture of hard work and teamwork within the organization.
Balancing the paradox of physical and psychological safety
Drug and polygraph testing might have both physical and psychological damages to the employees. For instance, an employee may test positive for a particular drug due to faulty testing equipments. On the other hand, an employee may give incorrect responses during a polygraph testing due to tension, which might affect the respective employees both physically and psychologically (Cascio & Aguinis, 2005).
Therefore, to ensure that drug and polygraph testing are productive to an organization, employers should strike a balance in the paradox of physical and psychological safety resulting from drug and polygraph testing. In a bid to avoid chances of innocent employees suffering both physical and psychological damage, employers ought not to take stiff measures based on the polygraph results (Cascio & Aguinis, 2005).
Instead, employers ought to incorporate other methods of determining dishonesty within employees like monitoring their movements within the organization and using other employees to identify their dishonest acts. In addition, employers ought to keep the results of polygraph testing private since it might negatively affect the relationship between the respective employees and his or her colleagues.
On the case of drug testing, employers may come up with employee assistance programs to facilitate in addressing cases of drug abuse among employees. Such programs would shun chances of direct confrontation between employees and employers, which might lead to physical or psychological damage.
In its place, the programs would equip managers and supervisors with relevant skills to engage employees found to use drugs in a constructive confrontation, which would encourage them to enroll for on-the-job treatment and eventually abstain from drug abuse (Cascio & Aguinis, 2005). This move would not only help employees stop using drugs, but also make sure that the company continues to run since no employee would have to leave his or her place of work.
Employee selection and development
The success of any organization depends on its ability to select and develop its employees; nonetheless, numerous organizational design elements that affect the process of employee selection and development. One of these elements is technology. Technology has changed the way in which organizations select their employees (Schuler & Jackson, 2000).
Technology has made it possible for organizations to screen all applicants and select the most suitable employees. On the other hand, technology has made it possible for organizations to come up with online trainings, which facilitate the organization to hold on-the-job training. Organizational size has a significant effect on employee selection and development. Smaller organizations do not have complex jobs (Schuler & Jackson, 2000).
Hence, the organizations do not conduct thorough screening of the applicants. Moreover, smaller organizations can organize for on-the-job training; however, bigger organizations have to organize for workshops or training programs due to the complexity of their jobs. Organizational culture plays a significant role in employee selection. F
or instance, organizations that promote the culture of teamwork do not hire employees whose work history entails office tasks and working autonomously. Organizations conduct their employee development in line with their culture (Shiu & Yu, 2010). For instance, if the organizations promote the culture of teamwork, they come up with programs that promote the participation and contribution of all employees.
Organizational goals and strategies contribute to employee selection and development. Organizations ensure that they hire employees with skills necessary to help them to pursue their goals and implement the established strategies. Besides, training programs are conducted in a way that they equip employees with the skills necessary to meet specific goals (Shiu & Yu, 2010).
Organizational environment refers to both internal and external factors affecting an organization. Companies ensure that they hire employees that exhibit unique skills relative to employees from rival companies. Besides, based on the changing organizational environment, companies organize employee trainings to update their skills and knowledge.
Reference List
Cascio, F., & Aguinis, H. (2005). Applied psychology in human resource management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Giacalone, R., & Greenberg, J. (1997). Antisocial Behavior in Organizations. California, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Jacobs, J., & Justice, C. (2006). Drug treatment and workplace drug testing: politics, symbolism and organizational dilemmas. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 9(3), 345-360.
Schuler, R., & Jackson, S. (2000). Organizational Strategy and Organizational Level as Determinants of Human Resource Management Practices. Human Resource Planning, 10, 125-141.
Shiu, M., & Yu, T. (2010). Internal marketing, organizational culture, job satisfaction, and organizational performance in non-life insurance. The Service Industry Journal, 30(6), 793-809.