rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) (02/11/86)
In article <970@whuxl.UUCP> stup@whuxl.UUCP (Raggedy-Ann @ Dollhouse) writes: > Employers DO like to know if employees are taking controlled >Rx drugs because, yes, they can affect work performance. Pain killers >such as codeine and Darvan can make one drowsy. Even antihistimines and >cough suppressents can do that. Some bosses even want to know when one >of his/her employees take aspirin! Some Rx drugs can and do affect >one's personality. But, not to hire someone in these cases would be >discrimination, I guess. >-- *** FLAME ON *** Perhaps they'd also like to know when you're on your period because that can also affect your job performance. Or maybe they want to know when I have a fight with my girlfriend because that can affect my job performance. Surely they'd want to know if I ate lots of spicy Mexican food at lunch; particularly if it caused me to take Rolaids *gasp* _on_the_job_!!! I am reminded of an excerpt from Townsend's great book, _Further_Up_The_Organization_, in which he tells the story of working at American Express in the late 50s and early 60s, and one of his top investment counselors came to him with a request for one of the new calculators, then about $600. Townsend forwarded the request to purchasing, who told him that it wasn't in his projected budget for that fiscal year. He informed them that he had made out the budget in October, and that this was now March, and he needed the calculator. They refused. Townsend then whipped out his ever-ready resignation and asked the purchasing weenie to sign it. "I can't sign your resignation, I'm not your boss!" Townsend then said, "Sign it anyway; because when I walk into the president's office and give him my resignation over this calculator problem, and he asks me who wouldn't get it for me, I want to give him your name." Townsend's man got his calculator. Townsend said that the point behind the story was that here the company had a guy whom they trusted to invest literally tens of millions of dollars on a day-to-day basis, yet they didn't want to buy him a $600 calculator that would have payed for itself in the first 3 minutes of use. Now, is anyone seriously going to advocate entrusting a new employee with all the responsibility that is commensurate with his/her new position, but lacking trust in them enough to demand drug tests? I can see it now: Dennis Ritchie (author of the C language and numerous other goodies) decides to leave Bell Labs for a new company: Personnel: "I'm sorry, Mr. Ritchie, but we cannot hire you." Dennis: "But why? Am I not qualified? Am I asking too much money?" Personnel: "No, none of those are problems. We found traces of antihistimines in your bloodstream." Dennis (in tears): "It was a last binge to celebrate the new job here! It won't happen again, I swear!" Personnel (closing folder and motioning to the security guard): "I'm sorry, Mr. Ritchie, we can't have your kind here at INC, Inc." [The above in no way implies that Dennis Ritchie agrees with what I am saying, likes me, or even knows who I am.] For those of you who missed INC, Inc. in the movie "Head Office", you missed a good one. -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj
stu16@whuxl.UUCP (Pippin) (02/13/86)
> In article <970@whuxl.UUCP> stup@whuxl.UUCP (Raggedy-Ann @ Dollhouse) writes: > > Employers DO like to know if employees are taking controlled > >Rx drugs because, yes, they can affect work performance. Pain killers Don't laugh. Some supervisors here REALLY want to know. If you are legally taking a drug that affects your capability, they make allowances for that. They figure if by taking the drug, you are able to work at all, it's better than you having to stay home in bed, or being at work but with lots of pain. Let's face it, wouldn't you rather your boss know about it than have him/her upset with you because your productivity slacked off for a bit? I would. -- Pippin Stuart whuxl!stu16
stu6@whuxl.UUCP (KELLY @ Bedlam) (02/14/86)
> > In article <970@whuxl.UUCP> stup@whuxl.UUCP (Raggedy-Ann @ Dollhouse) writes: > > > Employers DO like to know if employees are taking controlled > > >Rx drugs because, yes, they can affect work performance. Pain killers > > > Don't laugh. Some supervisors here REALLY want to > know. If you are legally taking a drug that affects your > capability, they make allowances for that. They figure if by > taking the drug, you are able to work at all, it's better > than you having to stay home in bed, or being at work but > with lots of pain. Let's face it, wouldn't you rather your > boss know about it than have him/her upset with you because > your productivity slacked off for a bit? I would. > -- > Pippin Stuart > whuxl!stu16 I work at the same site as Pippin - here's what happened today: This morning I slipped on the ice in the parking lot on my way into the building and sprained my ankle. Stopped at the Medical dept. and after soaking it, bandaging it and telling me to stay off it as much as possible, they also gave me some painkillers containing codeine. Since I insisted on not going home, they also called my boss to tell him I was given the medication. Did they do that so he could keep an eye on me in case I fell asleep? Or was it because they thought it a good idea that he know about it? Company policy? Or what? (I ride in a van pool, so there was no question about driving while incapacitated). -- Kelly VI(6th)