Climb Around the Top, Not Over It

oral fluid drug screen

Have you ever watched a documentary or video of someone rock climbing? In these situations, the person is often very muscular and agile, but more importantly, if they have any experience at all, they are going about climbing the mountain in a very intuitive and rational way.

In the beginning, the climber may choose a fairly shallow slope, but they may come across some pretty steep or overhanging rocks pretty soon. On that level, they are a ways above the ground, and they begin really making use of their climbing equipment. In addition to that, they view the side of the mountain as a vertical plane, with which they can absolutely interact with successfully.

They find that are able to do a lot more for the climbing experience if they do not climb outside of their skill level or only a little bit outside of their skill level. As you continue to watch the video, be sure and look at what they are doing against the flat surfaces of the rock. They find finger and toe holds, they find planes which are less dangerous, and they begin to near the top.

Now, when you are nearing the top of a mountain, it is not necessarily a good idea to just try to climb straight up. You may want very badly to do this, but the smart thing may be to resist this urge and instead work your way around the top, in a corkscrew manner, rather than just going straight over it. Also, by climbing it straight upward, you may be tempted to come down the same way, instead of in a corkscrew manner, and that can be really dangerous.

The same rules apply in business. When you are implement employee drug testing, make sure you have your equipment ready, like the drug test equipment from CMM Technology, don’t use any overkill on convincing your employees that this is a good thing, and play it smart. Just tell your workers that drug testing will be done on a regular basis, get your drug test kits and alcohol test from CMM Technology, and proceed in a very simple, light manner.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/climb-around-the-top-not-over-it/

Wait Out the Storm

Urine Drug Test

When you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, or when both main options available to you seem to be more negative than positive, then you might want to consider waiting out the storm and seeing what will come of the situation.

Now, if you are anything like the author, you may really find yourself wanting to do something about the problem you have. You may be one of those people who prefer action to just sitting around and letting the world happen to you, rather than you happening to the world.

Well, if you are stuck with two bad options, then the best third option may be to wait it out. Yes, you will have to resist the urge to jump in and start fixing things, much like the author has to do on a fairly regular basis, but you will succeed. As one of my friends said recently, “Eventually, someone will make a mistake in their story or a weakness in the structure will be revealed, and then you can make a decision.” That’s a pretty good point to make, and it all has to do with understanding that time tends to reveal evidence which the present may not be able to yield just yet.

Fortunately, you are in no such position when you use drug test equipment from CMM Technology. We have reliable equipment which you can count on, and that means that you can make decisions regarding your workers and their employment status (or their personal report status) which are based upon facts, and not about any potential doubt in the reliability of your screening tests. That is not a position that you should ever be in, and CMM Technology is devoted to bringing you high quality drug test kits and personal breathalyser devices, and we are even NATA accredited for our recalibration services. Now that is something to truly depend on.

Yes, there will be situations regarding your employees where the option is to let time reveal new information. However, when it comes to employee drug testing, you should be able to depend upon equipment.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/wait-out-the-storm/

Trusting People Again

Urine Drug Test

If you or someone close to you has ever been a victim of abuse, then you know how hard it is to begin rebuilding trust between the victim and the rest of society. It doesn’t matter how trustworthy someone is, if they are human (and most of us are), they will mess up. This will lead to further alienation of the victim, because they feel that they cannot trust anyone. This happens even after they begin to trust, because their need to trust is so high that their expectations of human nature are unrealistic.

Also, it is due to not really having enough life experience or discernment to be able to talk to people with understanding and the ability to tell different personality types from each other.

Naturally, drug testing is a solution in the workplace because it gives you the ability to tell who is abusing and when. However, this is not always the case in life. What do you do when drug test kits are not appropriate in a family environment or you cannot integrate employee drug testing in a social environment? Of course, these solutions are ridiculous in this context. Fortunately, there is still the environment of the workplace.

Fortunately, we still have employee drug testing. What could be better? A safe friendly environment where everyone is being productive and no one is at risk from someone else. That’s really saying something.

Of course, you have to decide what type of drug test kits to get. We recommend our Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6. Did you know that it has an adulterant built right into the test itself? That’s really efficient, and it saves money, too. Obviously, an individual who is reputable will not be trying to adulterate the screening test. There are numerous other products, too, and we hope you check them out on our website.

For more information, take a good look at everything we have, and then ask us what a business of your type and size may be most suited for. You never know when a good breathalyser device may come in handy, and we have a great recalibration service.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/trusting-people-again/

Newly Established Companies

Urine Drug Test

When you first set up your business, you may have had to take out loans on your enterprise, you may have had to hire people who are on a payroll, and you may have had to go into debt, even by quite a bit, just in order to get your operations up and running. Newly established companies are always in a weakened position and while you may be strong enough to run and own and operate a company, you may not have enough strength to push further and further, making it over that first initial ledge of debt and difficulty in the beginning. Unless you have all of the strength left in you reserved for that task and that task alone, you may not find your successes to be as great as you would like them to be.

Newly established companies are almost one hundred percent dependent upon the internal strength and resolved of the new owner and operator. Without his or her strength, followed by the backing and efforts of their employees, the whole startup business is bound to fail.

In the E-Myth book series, Michael Gerber discusses the mistakes which entrepreneurs make in their business, and what determines how they see the world. He talks about how your original vision CAN come to life, but it may involve an enormous amount of personal growth on your part.

CMM Technology is not interested in personally pushing you to new heights of growth, the growing pains of which may force you to back out of the deal. Instead, we just want to help you improve your business to the best extent possible. We are an Australian based drug test equipment supplier, and we also provide alcohol test and NATA accredited recalibration services. It is not in our best interests to force you to do anything, but it is in our best interests to bring about a higher quality of business in which you can work. We know that you do not always know what your employees are up to. Make sure that they are not up to any illicit behavior, such as drug or alcohol abuse in the workplace. 

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/newly-established-companies/

Mental Concentration and Planned Release

health screening

Mental concentration is one of the best things to have when you are employed at anything, even if you are a stay at home parent or spouse. Concentration on the task at hand makes it go faster, more efficiently, and it builds up your skills and speed over time. This is why many businesses try to teach their employees how to hold their concentration on the customer or on the task at hand so that they can be effective and efficient for the business as a whole.

Unfortunately, this does not always work. Employees are known for responding well to internal motivation, rather than external reward programs. This means that not everyone will be motivated to actually take the training as well as they should. What you may have to do, instead, is to set them a good example.

First, remember that mental concentration is best done in spurts. In other words, if you can concentrate on something for forty minutes to two hours at a time, without going over that time, then you will be better able to hold and maintain your concentration next time.

Second, even though concentration is important, it must be balanced by short breaks. This is where the “planned release” part of this article title comes in. You must plan on having a break every once in a while, and you must plan on doing this all throughout the day, week, weekend, and so on. In other words, without these planned releases, you will end up driving your concentration too hard, becoming a little more out of balance over time, and sending your stress signals in your body and mind through the roof every time you DO end up taking a break.

However, there will still be employees who do not follow these procedures, and these workers may choose to release through the abuse of alcohol or drugs. Therefore, your employee drug testing program must be airtight. Make sure that your drug test equipment comes from CMM Technology, and that you are aware of all of our drug test kits and alcohol breathalyser devices. We recommend the Lifeloc FC10 plus breathalyser device. We are also NATA accredited for our recalibration service of breathalyser devices.

This article has been taken from: http://cmm.com.au/articles/mental-concentration-and-planned-release

Emotional Regulation, Input and Output

Urine Drug Test

Emotional regulations help things to pass smoothly in and out of your heart, mind, and soul, so to speak. By regulating your emotions at any given time, you are building yourself stronger in your foundation, while leaving yourself flexible to move with the wind if necessary, like a tree or a skyscraper. Emotional regulation brings in helpful thoughts about what the reality of a situation is, without freaking out and going berserk if things seem way too off center. By regulating your emotions, you are able to control a great deal of the little fears, doubts, and troubles which might otherwise steal your focus from far more important things.

Input of emotional regulation involves certain things, such as books, textbooks, psychological texts, etc. which are all based around emotional intelligence. Videos showing how to effectively manage situations in the real world and among people are also extremely helpful.

Output of emotional regulation is waiting before you speak when you are angry, waiting before you speak when you are afraid, and not waiting before you speak when you are filled with love, hope, life, etc.

In the real world, we encounter, perhaps, ten thousand emotions daily. That is not an exaggeration. Rather, it is a look into just how complex and vast our minds really are.

Substance abuse takes this self control, and turns it into something gooey and formless. It takes your ability to regulate emotions going inward and going outward, and it makes that ability paralyzed and numb. By abusing drugs or alcohol, you are literally putting no filter on your mind so that whatever someone else says, will be exactly what you experience in your head as true and factual.

Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6 is just one of the many screening tests provided by CMM Technology. We provide drug test equipment all over Australia on a business-to-business basis and on an individual basis, depending upon what you need. Our breathalyser recalibration service helps you with all of your alcohol test and is accredited by NATA. Be sure and regulate the input of your employees, and make sure they don’t bring illicit substances into the business.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/emotional-regulation-input-and-output/

Bring on the Heartache

Alcohol Test

Heartache affects every single person on this earth. Whether or not you have ever had your heart broken by anyone, and we know that most people have, you have probably felt the loneliness of heartache once in a while. It’s a good thing to know you have a heart which can be hurt, but many of us are so lonely or can feel alone in a crowd that we are not quite that grateful for it. Heartache is not the same as heartbreak. Heartbreak serves as pain which comes from separation between yourself and your love. Heartache, on the other hand, can take the form of acute loneliness or extreme depression. In other words, it is not the separation from your love, but the mere absence of love which defines heartache.

So, what to do about such a problem? You can always pick another way to engage your attention, but chances are if loneliness has set in, this will be a temporary solution, at best.

Heartache is meant to bring people closer their true feelings if they do like someone, and to make them realize an absence in their life if they are not interested in anyone in particular. However, anyone can fall prey to the substance abuse which arises from acute and completely un-dealt-with heartache. Anyone can fall prey to substance abuse if their personal pain is high enough and their ability to create a new life for themselves is low or incompetent enough.

If someone in your employee workforce is suffering from heartache, then they are more likely to abuse substances. In time, this substance abuse could spread to their employment time and location. You need to know if any of your employees are engaged in drug testing or alcohol abuse. That’s where CMM Technology comes in. We provide you and your workforce with high quality drug test equipment and NATA accredited breathalyser recalibration services. Our drug test kits include oral and saliva options on our website, as well as individual breathalyser devices, in case you would like to use something other than your current devices.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/bring-on-the-heartache/

Mixing Up the Beat

Saliva Drug Test

If you have a day-to-day job which requires a lot of repetitive work but enough mental thinking for it to not be a mechanical skill then you probably have had a lot of burnout in your past. You probably have found it to be much easier to just hate your job, and just perform the daily beat, the daily grind, all of the time when you are at work.

It’s time to mix up the beat.

Don’t go out and make huge changes in your life or your work, because that can lead to your boat being a little too tossed about the waves for your own comfort. But, by all means, make a list of all of your daily activities and, except for the activities which must done in a certain order, simply put them in a random list on your computer desktop. Then, highlight the cells or squares next to them in your Excel or other type of computer spreadsheet. As you do your tasks, simply fill in the colored cell with a slightly different color. That way, you know when you’ve done a task, but you are still mixing up the beat and do not have to bring your schedule to an incredibly dull place just because you are still doing the same activities every day.

Onsite drug testing is part of cooperation between your employees and your business as a whole. They allow themselves to be screened, and your business identifies and potentially gets rid of anyone who is abusing substances in the workplace, thus endangering the physical safety and mental stability of everyone in the workplace environment.

When you are using the NATA accredited breathalyser recalibration service from CMM Technology, as well as the drug test equipment, you are making sure that your employees are fit for duty, and that is an important responsibility to have. This doesn’t happen often enough throughout the year to be considered monotonous, and therefore may not require any mixing of the beat in this area, but if you need it, then it would be recommended to simply change out types of drug testing kits or alcohol test when you order from us in the future. We have enough inventory to readily make this possible.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/mixing-up-the-beat/

Miracles Happen Every Day

Urine Drug Test

Miracles are something which we tend to give religious significance. However, whether or not you are religious, miracles are still an everyday occurrence, by every definition of the word. It is a miracle that humans, being as unpredictable and changeable as we are, can coexist in a society in which we may or may not even feel comfortable or accepted.

It is a miracle that people who work together cannot see even blatantly obvious signs of drug or alcohol abuse in their friends, but can imagine unrealistic faults in their enemies. It is a miracle that we can work together under these circumstances, for long periods of time, without incurring huge social penalties for these thoughts and feelings.

It is a miracle that we have developed intricate and highly complex technology and information to help account for and explain various phenomena, and that we still are unable to answer questions about the meaning of life itself, when we live in and among and around life every day.

It is a miracle that today’s society is fraught with danger and safety, goodness and malice, creative and destructive properties, and that people still have optimistic hopes for the future and see the world as a much better place than it may statistically be. At CMM Technology, we believe miracles are just a part of human life and existence. Leaving religion completely out of the discussion, we can see how even the small actions of one person can have far reaching and powerful consequences in the lives of a lot of different and unrelated people. 

Please invest in us. Our individual breathalyser recalibration services are NATA accredited. Our drug test equipment, from the alcohol test to the saliva and urine drug tests, are fine quality and available for your perusal on our website and purchase. We know that even if you believe that miracles don’t happen every day, you are still in an important position in your company, and that it is your job to make sure that your employees are well taken care of.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/miracles-happen-every-day/

Management Styles and Free Choice

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We all have different management styles and we all manage different things. However, all of these styles and components can essentially be categorized into three different categories. For example, if you are easy going and go with the flow, then you interact with your people or circumstances, but keep the relationship balanced. If, however, you are a bit of a control freak, then you probably find yourself being more influential on your environment than your environment is on you!

When that happens, remember that everyone falls into one of these three areas.

First, we have the controller. This person often feels out of control of a situation, and so they exert almost an unreasonable amount of dictation over other people and they heavily control their surroundings.

Second, we have the engager. This individual interacts with their surroundings, but keeps the balance pretty equal between themselves and other people and outside circumstances. They are good at engaging with people and they are good at interacting with their environment. These are usually the most gregarious people, and they are usually pretty popular, too.

Third, and last, we have the non-committer. This person is so against interacting with their environment and against having any sort of responsibility toward other people that they are usually the most independent and the least able to get close to people out of the group. Because they keep such distance between themselves and other people, they often come across as the most professional. But because this attitude goes pretty deep within them, people who want to become closer friends or to date them often find this to be impossible.

CMM Technology recognizes that, in reality, it is all about free choice. Anyone can abuse anything and anyone else, but it has to be the free choice of both parties, and they have to take responsibility for their substance abuse. Drug test equipment will help you know who this applies to and who it doesn’t apply to. We provide urine drug test, alcohol breathalyser devices, and saliva drug test, along with our breathalyser recalibration service. To place an order with us, or to find out more about our products.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/management-styles-and-free-choice/

Happily Ever After, Right?

Saliva Drug Test

We all go through changes throughout our lives, changes which affect the kind of people we are and which affect our mental habit loops. If you recall getting married in the beginning, you probably expected to be the same person you were then, for the rest of your life. You probably saw yourself then as the model for your future self.

However, that is not very realistic, is it? You see, when you get married, your whole world changes and you become a different person purely by the act of being one with and living closely with someone else. You change. You grow. You evolve. But, it is very important to note, that change can be good and bad.

When you began your business or began working for your business, you had a goal in mind. You had a mission to accomplish. You were going to make a company that reflected you as a person. It reflected your dreams, your goals, and your mission in life. This business was to take everything that could be produced within your company, make them as high quality as possible, make enough of them to satisfy market demand, and sell your products or services to as many people as possible.

But, I’m betting that you changed as a person, too, right? You probably underwent a major growth cycle, learned a lot that you didn’t know before, and became better grounded in who you are as a person and what kind of company you wanted to create and maintain.

Well, in business, you have to make sure that you can rely upon your employees just as much as you rely upon yourself. This necessitates the use of employee drug testing on a regular basis. This means that you need good drug test kits and breathalyser devices! Well, CMM Technology has everything you need in one website, complete with NATA accredited breathalyser recalibration. We provide you with all kinds of drug tests and alcohol test, and we really hope to change your business for the better.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/happily-ever-after-right/

Being on the Wrong Side of the Law

Alcohol Test

It has often been said, especially fifty years ago, that “once you go bad, you can never go back.” This statement arose as a conscientious acknowledgment of the fact that once people are on the wrong side of the law, they don’t often feel as if they can just erase their past by continuous good behavior. In other words, they think that one bad deed defines which side of the track they should live on, and that many multiple good deeds may or may not even make a difference to their record.

It is this mentality of always being bad and never being good enough which has kept many people in the criminal game for many years. What would you do if you knew that you had all of the power in the world and could do anything you wanted, both good and bad? Chances are, you’d happily settle for peace, contentment, strong family relationships, and having enough to eat every day. But, this is not the mentality that people in poverty or first or second time criminals possess. Rather, they believe that somehow they have crossed over an invisible line which then rises up and acts as a barrier to going back to the other side, the good side.

Of course, logically speaking, this is nonsense, but people are not logical, nor are they rational. Mental habits are something very powerful and we always act in accordance with our established mental habits. In fact, if anything seems to be threatening a habit of ours, we are more likely to pick the lesser option, but the option which most coincides with our habitual process.

This is what happens when employees bring drugs or alcohol to the workplace, even if they just show up drunk or high. They are breeding a different mental habit among the working population. They are breeding the habit of fear and loss and emptiness. Make sure your own workers are not “misbehaving” in this way. Use high quality drug test equipment from CMM Technology to get the scientific truth from them, and make sure that you also have your alcohol breathalyser devices recalibrated with our NATA accredited recalibrations services. 

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/being-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-law/

Beauty and Surprise

Breathalyser

Beauty is such an elusive thing. You have to be in the right mood before the ugliest thing in the world will appear beautiful to you, and if you are in the wrong mood, then even exceptionally beautiful objects or people can seem to be plain and unsatisfying to you.

Beauty is subjective. No one agrees upon what is beautiful, though many studies have been made into fine art, the human body, landscapes, brilliantly colored sunsets, and metallic abstractions. These studies seek to find a “universal beauty” in both art and sculpture, in both music and dance.

When we are surprised by art or music in a pleasant way, it is often wondered, deep within ourselves, why we didn’t think of it before. It is as if you are actually remembering the piece of music or the painting from a long, long time ago, rather than experiencing for the first time. It is as if your soul has already seen that piece of art or heard that music, and is just now seeing it again, after many thousands of years.

Many ancients have spoken of the fact that all art and beauty actually is within us, and that the human soul has every beautiful thing in the world inside of it. When we see this art in the physical world, we have already seen it, deep within our souls, and appreciate the perfect rendering of the original memory.

It is not good to have an unpleasant surprise when your business, coming together as a whole, takes on the form of being out of control. That happens when substance abuse enters the company environment. Workers are negatively affected by their own abuse and by the abuse of fellow workers. Therefore, you must know about these conditions. You must know if and when your employees are abusing illicit drugs or alcohol while at work. Then, you must know about the drug test equipment offered by CMM Technology. It is really important to remember our Rapid STAT saliva drug test or Lifeloc FC10 alcohol test when you are looking for high quality drug test equipment.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/beauty-and-surprise/

Take A Step Back

Breathalyser

Urine drug test and saliva drug test, personal breathalyser devices, and recalibration services are all a part of keeping your business happy, healthy and well managed. Now, when you begin to work with CMM Technology, or simply place orders with us on a regular basis, you will learn that we take particular pride in our products, and that we know how important accuracy is to you.

You will also learn, in your course of drug testing and alcohol screening, that your employees have private lives away from their work, and that you do not always know what is going on with them. Their personal lives can include anything from dealing with death, to going back to college, and from dealing with a broken relationship, to dealing with new children.

Everyone has a life which may seem overwhelming to them, but we all deal with our lives in very different ways. If you take a step back, and evaluate the whole picture, rather than zeroing in on a small detail, you will be able to read patterns in your workers and in your business which will give you even more information than you have right now.

Taking a step back is, therefore, very important. If you know how to do this on a regular basis, then you can make decisions for the greater good, both for detailed situations and as part of an overall plan. Drug test equipment must be up to snuff (ours is very high quality) and you must get your equipment from a reliable source, like CMM Technology. There really is no way around it. If you want to have access to a good business which provides good drug testing kits, then check out CMM Technology and our DDS2 saliva drug test. There’s nothing more to it.

Once you have taken this first step, all you have to do is just keep your drug testing program and relax about the results you receive back. They will be quick, efficient, accurate, and helpful to your business operations. After all, everyone wants to know the kind of people with whom they work every day.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/take-a-step-back/

Family vs Coworkers

Saliva Drug Test

Alright, who is more important: family or coworkers? Ahh, you are thinking, this is a trick question. I’m supposed to say family, right? Well, actually, you’re supposed to say neither.

It has become a modern habit in first world countries to spend all of your time at work and then any remaining time with your family. There is no time set aside for you. There is no luxury of solitude and reflection. No time is set aside for your own explorations of the outback, hikes into the distant mountains, or shopping sprees all by your little lonesome. There is no family versus coworkers diagram to be had in this article. It is about you and the time that you have made for yourself. If you let your time be taken up by random events, then random events will happily take up all of your time, not just small parts of it! If you let fate be in charge of your world, fate will do what is in fate’s best interest, not what is in your best interest.

Fortunately, there are many activities for the wandering traveler who seeks some solitude on their own. There is quiet in nature, there is thrill in movie theaters, there is luxury in dining alone on the best food in town. In fact, if you don’t take time out for yourself, with what resources will you be blessing others? There is more than one way of starving yourself: all at once or one day at a time.

Today, we have tools like the screenings tests brought to you by CMM Technology. As a business owner, you don’t have time to get to know every single employee in your business. Also, relying upon the opinions of your managers can still be fallible. Instead, use the scientifically backed data from CMM Technology to jumpstart your data. We are NATA accredited for breathalyser calibration and we also provide alcohol test, urine drug test and oral fluid drug tests.

In other words, we fulfill every information need you have through our high quality screening tests.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/family-vs-coworkers/

Bright Blue Seas

drug alcohol screening nationwide

Have you ever seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption? If you have not, then it’s okay to just keep reading. If you have, though, you will remember one of the last lines spoken by Morgan Freeman’s character. “I hope the Pacific Ocean is as blue as it has been in my dreams.”

“I hope.”

The point of this movie is the ability hold onto hope which, in other people, has long since died out in order to maintain some level of mental sanity. When prisoners are institutionalized, they become so satisfied and aware of their current surroundings that they no longer hope to get out any time soon, nor do they try to change their present circumstances. The protagonist of this story, Andy, has urged Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, to never lose hope, because hope is the last thing in life. Red tries to convince Andy to forget about getting out of prison before old age, because it is just a lost cause, and that hope can drive a man mad with desire to leave, rather than giving him the acceptance he needs to live in prison sanely.

But, Andy responds by telling Red that, without hope, you might as well die. He says, in one of the most famous lines in modern movie history, “I guess it depends upon whether you’re going to get busy living or get busy dying.”

If any of you know someone who has been through the ravages of drug abuse or alcoholism, you are fully aware of what “getting busy dying” can actually look like. The lack of hope, the lack of direction or the ability to propel yourself, and the lack of contact with this person until they are better really makes the situation seem dire, and almost threatening.

Mediscreen provides onsite drug testing and alcohol screening to business all over Australia, and we are NATA accredited for our drug testing. We know that it is of vital importance to keep your business workers regularly screened for illicit substances while on the jobsite. Your business needs the hope which comes from success and good employee mentalities. Your business needs hope, like the kind that the Pacific Ocean brings to Andy and Red. We even have ISO 9001 accreditation.

This article has been taken from: http://www.mediscreen.net.au/bright-blue-seas/

Dirt, Mud, and Hands

Urine Drug Test

In many religions, people were made from mud. It is not just a Christian religious belief, but one which pervades many different religions the world over. The idea that human hands originally came from dirt is one of great significance. It is really important to not be swayed by too much sterility in this world, for washing away dirt from our hands is washing away our past.

This is the same reason why recovering alcoholics or drug addicts shouldn’t try to sterilize or get rid of their past. Their past is what made them who they are today, and that is really important for people who need to remember the good parts of who they are. When we are looking for redemption, we will easily find it in the simplest of pieces of salvation. That is why forgetting our drug induced or alcoholic past is not really a solution to the problem. People need to be able to look at their dirty, messy, chaotic roots, see them, accept them, and use them to dig deeper into the human experience which is called life.

At CMM Technology, we believe that your workers may or may not be abusing illicit substances while at work. The question is not whether they are or not, but how many and who it is. You see, even in the healthiest environments, our pasts, if ignored long enough, can reach up from the ground and pull us back to our ancestral earthy roots.

That is why CMM Technology has drug test equipment, alcohol test, and even a breathalyser recalibration service which is accredited by NATA. We know that it is important to know what your employees have been doing regarding their drug and alcoholic behavior in the workplace itself. Anything outside of that is not your domain, but this job, this workplace, and this office are yours. As the steward of the business, you must make the best decisions for the good of all of your employees, and that means having a plan in place for when someone has unacceptable drug test or alcohol test results.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/dirt-mud-and-hands/

Today’s Social Drinking University Students are Tomorrow’s Workplace Alcoholics

Alcohol Test

Managing a business requires intense focus on operations, Human Resources, and a myriad of goals, systems, projects, processes, and programs. One of the programs is the AOD program. For many companies, keeping drugs and alcohol out of the business is literally a full-time job in the sense that someone has a full-time responsibility for managing the alcohol and other drug testing program. However, employers are increasingly viewed as the points of contact for educating people on the inherent dangers of substance abuse. Governments and nonprofits now go even further and ask employers to participate in community and public programs, especially addressing alcohol abuse and its consequences. The reality is that alcoholism begins early in Australian life as children as young as 14 years old take their first drink and continue the practice as university students who binge drink. Employers should always keep in mind that the young social drinkers of today are tomorrow’s workplace alcoholics.

Employers have a vested interest in what is happening in Australian society. Alcoholics and binge drinkers do not suddenly become alcoholics and binge drinkers once employed. There is a good chance that many of them attended “schoolies” and “leavers”. These celebrations to mark the end of secondary school education frequently turn into secret binge drinking and drug taking opportunities. They are not intended to be that way, but teens who do not understand the potential harms are more likely to participate in the non-sanctioned activities.

Schoolies and Employers

There are good reasons for employers to care about “schoolies”. For example, teenagers who consume alcohol whilst the brain is still developing are more likely to experience brain damage and health complications in life when older. They are also more likely to have problems with alcohol in the future.1 Employers must deal with the consequences because these are the people making up the workforce.

The young adults attending universities are more at risk of continuing their teenage drinking patterns. La Trobe University addresses student drinking head-on. The university’s research and surveys indicated that only 46 percent of their students who consumed five or more alcoholic drinks averaged marks of credit or higher. However, 67 percent who drank less than three alcoholic drinks each week averaged marks of credit or higher.2

One of the interesting results of the La Trobe surveys is that 86 percent of students believed alcohol “breaks the ice”. Approximately 82 percent thought drinking was a social activity enhancer. The reality is that many of the students drinking more than five or more drinks did something regrettable at a later point. The “regrettables” were things like performing poorly on school work assignments or missing classes.

Drinking at Work for Social “Coolness”

However, it is easy to take the wrong student perceptions and translate them into the workplace. People who think drinking enhances social communication are more likely to turn to alcohol as an ice-breaker in the workplace or to prove social “coolness.” When employers allow alcohol at work events like picnics, award ceremonies, and holiday parties, they are sending a message that it takes alcohol to interact with others and to have a good time.

It is not just alcohol that is a problem, and the substance abuse issues are not limited to Australian students. There have been European and American studies conducted by researchers at the Basel and Zurich universities involving Swiss students. The results were alarming. Almost 14 percent of students were relying on some kind of neuroenhancement substance to improve their school performance.3 If they think drugs and alcohol will enhance school performance, why would they not think the same substances would enhance work performance?

Employers do need to care about what is going on in the community and the habits of the members of the future workplace. Developing increased awareness is one strategy in the effort to maintain a zero tolerance workplace and supplements other activities like onsite drug testing and breathalyser testing for alcohol. CMM Technology can help by offering expert policy development assistance, accurate drug testing technologies, and a host of breathalyser devices and NATA equipment calibration checks.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/today%E2%80%99s-social-drinking-university-students-are-tomorrow%E2%80%99s-workplace-alcoholics/

Breaking the Silence Code

Saliva Drug Test

Silence is used for meditation, it is used as punishment, it is used to think about things, and it is used to ponder over the day’s events or to remember past loved ones. Silence is where our minds, in their greatest and most powerful use, dwell with equanimity and full strength.

However, if you have ever lived with someone who is angry and silent about it or who uses silence as a punishment, then you are looking at a situation where you need to be able to break the silence code. In these times, we have some suggestions for you: First of all, make sure you are aware of the person’s body language and personal demeanor. This will tell you a lot more than just if they are angry or not. It will tell you if they are angry because they feel threatened, because they feel insulted, or because they feel hurt.

Secondly, make sure that you pay attention to the memories you have of this particular person. If you know anything about them, you should know whether this behavior is typical of their good or bad moods. Make sure that you are not transferring a bad experience you had with someone else onto this person.

Thirdly, be sure and feel them out before drawing any set conclusions about them. For example, you might say something softly to them, in keeping with their silent state, and see if they burst into talking or if they answer in a manner which is not typical for them. It is also important to remember that most people are either morning people or evening people (some are just afternoon people), and that any other time of the day may be too much for their personal skills.

CMM Technology hopes that you only have mild problems with silence from your employees, and that none of it is due to drug or alcohol abuse on the worksite. If, however, that is the case, then we afford you the opportunity to know about it as it happens. Our drug test equipment, alcohol test, and NATA accredited breathalyser recalibration services are all at your disposal.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/breaking-the-silence-code/

Be Happy Now, Not When You’ve Achieved Something

Drug Testing

When you base your happiness upon achievements which are not internally based, your whole life because like sands by the sea. It is rootless and it cannot stand if anything so much as a breeze happens along. However, if you make a conscious choice to be happy now, rather than when something is accomplished, you can avoid a lot of heartache and misery.

Achievements should, indeed, be recognized. For instance, if you practiced every day on your piano in order to play in a concert hall, then the achievement of playing well at the recital is something to be proud of. However, while you are preparing, you are probably enjoying playing the piano while you are practicing. This is not basing your enjoyment of the piano upon achievements but upon being in the moments and enjoying it, anyway.

It is really important that you employees have this mentality, too. Who wants to work with someone who is forever getting mixed up with the priorities with which they have been entrusted? It is a matter of professionalism and candor, and these things should not be attained only when your worker has completed the day’s work. By working at your job throughout the day, you are building and breaking connections with different people, and you need to be able to do that effectively.

CMM Technology brings you the beauty of employee drug testing. We know that you may not find it in your heart to query your employees about what seems to be suspicious behavior, but with drug test kits and alcohol tests, you don’t have to question them. Science will do it for you. Our NATA accredited breathalyser recalibration services are also good if you happen to have alcohol test which need recalibrating but you haven’t bought our products yet. You don’t have to buy all new equipment. Just use our service and use the equipment you already have, if you’re happy with it. This is the time of great beginnings. Be happy now, not just when things are just exactly, finally, right. That moment will come many times a day if you can learn to live in the moment.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/be-happy-now-not-when-you%E2%80%99ve-achieved-something/

Psychological Symptoms of Drug Abuse

Breathalyser

Medical professionals have developed a host of terms in an effort to describe substance abuse. Technology has greatly advanced the understanding of the physical impacts, but theories like the biopsychosocial model reflect the fact that substance abuse involves more than biological factors. There are also cultural, social, and psychological factors involved in the use of drugs and in the display of their effects.1 On the use side, succumbing to peer pressure is a typical social factor and poor mental health could be a psychological factor. On the flip side, the symptoms of substance are also evident as biological, social, and psychological. Most are familiar with the physical and behavioural symptoms, but what are the psychological symptoms indicating substance abuse?

Beware of Assumptions

One thing is for certain – substance abuse is complex and so are its symptoms. Though there are common symptoms for each type of drug, no two people experience identical ones. That can make it difficult for people in the workplace to identify if someone is using drugs unless valid drug testing is done. It is easy to make the wrong assumptions, which is why managers must be thoroughly trained in properly responding to their suspicions. The psychological symptoms of substance abuse are some of the most difficult to identify as being related to substance abuse.

It is not too difficult to spot someone who has been drinking when the person begins slurring words and losing coordination. The physical symptoms are quite obvious. People using illicit drugs like cocaine frequently experience persistent runny noses and experience excessive sweating and chills. Behavioural symptoms are often easy to spot too. A drug user who previously enjoyed being around others will begin to avoid co-workers or work performance noticeably declines. However, someone who is anxious may be on cocaine, but is more likely to be under stress or have personal problems related to family or finances.

Only Drug Testing Tells the Truth

It is now recognised that there are psychological symptoms associated with substance abuse. For example, crystal methamphetamine or ice creates feelings of euphoria or excitement. Is the overly-enthusiastic employee using ice? Ice use can also lead to anxiety, depression, and tension.2 Is the anxious employee on drugs? Obviously the situations and the answers are not simple. Only workplace drug testing can definitively determine if someone is using drugs or alcohol. It is impossible to look at one symptom or one type of symptom and know if someone is violating the zero tolerance policy.

However, it is important to understand that substance abuse does have psychological symptoms and not just behavioural and physical ones. The psychological symptoms include:

Unexplained changes in attitude (key word is “unexplained” Noticeable change in personality (personality does not normally change without some kind of trigger) Outbursts of anger at the slightest or no provocation (over-reacting) Laughing at nothing (like the person is laughing at a private joke) Sudden mood changes Appearing mentally disoriented (“spaced out”) Loss of motivation (in a person who was previously performed well) Difficulty focusing or paying attention Acting paranoid or extremely anxious for no reason Becoming fearful for no reason Becoming withdrawn

Most of the time drug users will exhibit a combination of psychological, behavioural and physical symptoms, and that is how managers are led to test for just cause. The most important step an employer can take to identify substance abuse in the workplace is by doing consistent on-site drug testing. There is simply no substitute for facts.

CMM Technology is one of the oldest suppliers of AOD products that are stringently tested to ensure they produce the correct results. Products include technology for alcohol testing, saliva drug test, and urine drug test. 

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/psychological-symptoms-of-drug-abuse/

Mistakes in D&A Testing DO Count

Drug Testing

Everything in life has risks and rewards, and workforce testing for drugs and alcohol is no different. The rewards of a substance free workplace include a lowered risk of accidents and injuries, higher productivity, and reduced health costs. The maximum rewards are only derived when the AOD program is managed correctly and legally. The risks, on the other hand, flow from failures to act. For example, management fails to develop a healthy workplace culture or the on site drug testing schedule is not followed. What are the other common drug testing mistakes that can quickly get employers in trouble?

Staying Off Shaky Ground

The first two common mistakes cover a broad area. First, the failure to develop a culture that discourages substance use and encourages ethical behaviour can raise the risk employees will use drugs and alcohol. There should be a positive culture that engages everyone in the organisation in the effort to keep drugs and alcohol out of the workplace. A poor workplace culture contributes to worker health problems like alcoholism and drug addiction.1 Developing a substance free culture has to start in the executive suite, flow down through the organisation and be regularly reinforced through messaging, employee resource groups, and worker training and development.

The second broad mistake is failing to have a written drug and alcohol testing policy. A corollary is failing to have a policy that meets federal and state or territory laws. Without a policy, employers stand on shaky legal ground in terms of enforcing a substance free workplace. In addition, the policy provides the consistency in the message delivered to employees and the responses should employees test positive to drugs.

List of Common Failures

Other common mistakes include the following:

Failing to follow the policy and procedures that were put in place Using a company that is not AS4308 & AS4760 accredited for drug and alcohol testing Failing to train managers in proper responses after developing suspicion an employee is using drugs Failing to train employees on the policy whilst expecting compliance Taking action on the first non-negative onsite drug testing results without obtaining confirmatory testing at an accredited laboratory Not maintaining proper documentation that indicates the chain of custody for the sample Breaching drug and alcohol testing confidentiality Treating certain employees inconsistently, i.e. never test, test more frequently, ignore positive results, etc. Small mistakes can lead to major employer problems. For example, The Australian Standard requires that certain protocols be followed concerning sample handling when there is a non-negative test result. If the employer fails to follow the Australian Standard, an employee is likely to claim the employer cannot “prove” anything (and is right).

Tell Me Again...

The drug and alcohol program needs the same attention to detail as other critical programs like compensation or job training. Workers should be thoroughly trained on the AOD policies and procedures. It is also just as important to share information that helps employees cope with workplace conditions and situations without turning to drugs or alcohol. The training has to be ongoing too. One more common mistake employers make is believing that telling a worker once, at the time of hiring, that drugs and alcohol are not allowed is all the training needed.2

Mistakes in D&A programs do count. To help employers avoid critical mistakes, CMM Technology supplies them with quality saliva drug test, urine drug test, and alcohol test supplies. In addition, CMM Technology has the appropriate documentation that simplifies the recording process whilst assisting employers with meeting legal requirements.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/mistakes-in-da-testing-do-count/

Continuous Quality Improvement and AOD Programs

oral fluid drug test

Continuous Improvement or Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a strategic approach to managing change by recognising incremental and measured improvements. It is a method of self-analysis in which validated assessments are completed, and the results are used to make the necessary incremental changes that work towards desirable outcomes.1 Applying this concept to the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) program means driving the organisation to a substance free workplace by continually improving AOD program policies and procedures, while strengthening an organisational culture that promotes a substance free workplace.

Informing Decisions

In CGI, each improvement implemented drives the process, system, or program to a better condition or state. The assessment process ensures that changes, cultural and otherwise, are sustained over time and that the effort to reach goals continues to improve over the long term. Each assessment becomes a method for informing decisions as to the next steps that should be taken. The Continuous Improvement process applied to the AOD program can ensure:2

AOD policy and procedures reflect industry and legal standards

Improve the validity of assessments

Enhance relevance of the AOD testing procedures

Increase transparency of the drug and alcohol program

Ensure there is regular feedback to employees after testing

Support quality assurance

Improve management of the AOD program

Guide worker training on the AOD program

Guide management training on AOD program

There are different ways to assess the AOD program. Benchmarking against industry leaders is one valuable assessment tool. However, benchmarking is mostly used by larger companies because it requires considerable resources that include commitments of personnel, software, data collection and interpretation, and so on. Even if resources are not available for elaborate benchmarking, small to medium size companies can still apply the principle of CQI to their AOD program.

Asking Questions Over and Over Again

It is not uncommon for companies to put onsite drug testing AOD testing in place and deal with results one-by-one without looking at the big picture. An employee tests positive for heroin and is temporarily suspended until completing rehab. Three weeks later, an employee in the same department tests positive for cocaine. The same type of event keeps occurring. Though there is follow-up with each person, the real question is: Is there a pattern of substance use in the department? If so, why? Once the “why” is uncovered, the next question is: What should we do about it? Once that question is answered, a change is implemented. The change may impact work processes in the department, frequency of drug and alcohol testing, definition of safety sensitive positions, revision of the Employee Assistance Plan, or any of a number of other things.

CQI is a transformation process, meaning it is ongoing. One of the important steps that should be taken is ensuring that drug & alcohol testing supplies are top quality and that AOD screenings are completed by an experienced qualified company. These are important steps for ensuring the results are accurate.

However, CGI involves assessing every step of the AOD program on a continual basis. It has employers asking the question, “How is the AOD program going, and can it be better?”

Program assessments can lead to changes step-by-step, including tweaking a policy, revising a random testing schedule, or enhancing program management or employee training. The important point to note is that the tweaking, revising, and enhancing will occur over and over again as the assessment indicates is necessary.

CMM Technology helps employers everyday in their efforts to maintain a substance free workplace by providing stringently tested AOD products and high quality expert services like equipment calibration. Producing accurate AOD testing results is a critical step in the CQC process.

This article has been taken from: http://www.cmm.com.au/articles/continuous-quality-improvement-and-aod-programs/