Pre-Employment Drug Testing for Hospitality Sales Positions: Who's Buying In?

Abstract

Pre-employment drug testing in the workplace has often been adopted by hospitality organizations both nationally and internationally due to the acceptance of conventional wisdom that drug-using workers have substantially lower productivity rates. While research consistently finds hospitality employees display higher rates of substance use, limited hospitality research has been conducted on the topic of pre-employment drug testing in this industry, and applicant and employee responses to this practice have yet to be investigated. Emerging themes based on employee comments are explored, including perceptions of fairness, necessity, and value. Suggestions for future theoretical-based research are offered, and implications for hospitality industry decision makers are discussed.