DOT Training and Reasonable Suspicion Tip 8: “Let’s wait and see.”

Here is another tip for you to consider in your DOT Training for Supervisors.
Asking for a “wait and see” approach is usually an employee’s way of asking for a 2nd chance. It basically promises that the offending behavior won’t occur again if only you’ll overlook it just this once.

It seems reasonable. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? What if it was one isolated screw up? You wouldn’t want to mess with someone’s job over a simple mistake, would you?

Well, there’s a problem with that. If you decide to “wait and see if it happens again” before acting on your drug testing policy, chances are you’re simply procrastinating. You’re also enabling. If injury or death on the job—or off the job—occurs, you’ll be sick with regret over why you didn’t act when you had the chance. And that may be the least of your problems. You may have also exposed you and your employer to severe legal consequences.

There’s no upside here for you. You have no guarantee from your employee that this won’t happen again. All you have are the panicked reassurances of someone who is right now very afraid of being punished. Now is not the time to put yourself in a bad spot. Right now your job is to determine whether your employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That’s it. The issue of 2nd chances is one that can be decided upon later.