Wells Fargo & Company (Wells Fargo) is a holding company whose subsidiaries provide a diverse portfolio of banking, mortgage, investment, and other financial products to individuals and commercial entities. The company is the fourth-largest bank holding company in the US by assets that totaled $1.9 trillion as of December 31, 2019.
The company, whose subsidiaries include Wells Fargo Bank, NA, has 259,800 team members. Working at a prestigious company like Wells Fargo is a dream for some who want to venture into the financial services industry. Aside from possessing the right credentials, you wonder if the company has a rigid and stringent recruitment process. More importantly, is drug testing a requirement for employment? Find out below.
Does Wells Fargo Drug-Test Employees?
The company’s handbook for its team members talks about maintaining a drug-free workplace. Wells Fargo requires all team members to perform their duties “unimpaired by illegal drugs, alcohol, or the improper use of legal substances.” It does not allow employees to go to work impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Under the section “Drug-Free Workplace,” the company has issued a strong warning: “We have absolutely no tolerance for illegal drugs—or the solicitation, distribution, or misuse of legal drugs—at Wells Fargo.”
Marijuana is the subject of hot debate because certain states have legalized recreational and/or medicinal use of the substance. The company touches on this by saying that it is a federal contractor and must thus comply with federal law, whose Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act defines illegal drugs as any controlled substance on Schedules I to IV. The act continues to list marijuana as a controlled substance under Schedule I.
Pre-employment Drug Testing
Wells Fargo has been quoted several times in news reports in the past two years, saying that drug testing is not a condition to get hired at the company. Its website outlines the hiring process in general terms and without mention of pre-employment drug tests.
Drug Testing during Employment
There’s little to no confirmed information about Wells Fargo’s actual stance on drug tests while one is employed at the company. However, the handbook quoted above has these to say should you do any of the following:
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If you go to work impaired or deemed as unfit to work because of alcohol or drugs, you may be sent home and subjected to corrective action with termination of employment being one.
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If you sell, buy, manufacture, use or commit a prohibited activity concerning illegal drugs while on duty, on the company’s premises, or while doing company business, your employment can be immediately terminated. Illegal substances found in the company’s premises can be turned over to authorities for further investigation.
The Answer
Wells Fargo is one of those big banks that don’t do drug tests at least on new hires or prospective employees. However, its zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol and the implications of violating them drive the point across effectively.
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References
Latest Wells Fargo 10-K
Wells Fargo Handbook
Wells Fargo’s Stance on Drug Testing