Qualitative Responses to Pre-employment Drug Testing in the Foodservice Industry

Authors

Miranda Kitterlin, Florida International UniversityFollow
Lisa Moll, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Program Web Address

hospitality.fiu.edu

Abstract

Employee substance abuse has long time been a topic of concern for the hospitality industry. Operating under the assumption that drug-users, and associated undesirable behavior, can be eliminated from the hiring process, many operations have adopted pre-employment drug-testing policies. Despite being represented across the industry as a major target of effort and resources, it is suggested that the perceived sensitive-nature of the subject has somewhat hindered access to qualitative information. The purpose of this research was to assess and explore the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of both management and employees in the foodservice industry regarding pre-employment drug-testing and its impact on work performance. Through the use of a phenomenological survey, qualitative data was collected then used to identify themes in participants’ perceptions of such screening policies and their effects. Results and implications of these findings are discussed.

Recommended Citation

Kitterlin, Miranda and Moll, Lisa (2013) "Qualitative Responses to Pre-employment Drug Testing in the Foodservice Industry," Hospitality Review: Vol. 30: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/hospitalityreview/vol30/iss1/3