Substance Abuse Awareness & Response for Managers & HR

Substance Abuse Awareness & Response for Managers & HR gives managers, supervisors, and HR professionals the knowledge and confidence to handle substance-related issues in the workplace the right way. Substance abuse doesn’t discriminate — it shows up across every industry, job role, and income level, and it can affect performance, safety, and team morale before anyone notices what’s really going on. This course walks you through what substance abuse looks like, why it’s considered a health condition rather than a character flaw, and how to respond in a way that’s fair, legal, and genuinely supportive.

You’ll learn to recognize the behavioral and physical warning signs of substance misuse, understand how alcohol, prescription drugs, and illegal substances affect the workplace, and build a clear picture of the legal landscape that shapes your response — including the ADA, FMLA, and Drug-Free Workplace Act. From there, the course moves into practical skills: documenting reasonable suspicion, having direct but respectful conversations with employees, connecting people with Employee Assistance Programs, and navigating discipline, termination, and return-to-work decisions when they become necessary.

Substance Abuse Awareness & Response for Managers & HR isn’t just about policy — it’s about people. You’ll finish the course with a framework for holding your organization’s standards while treating employees with dignity, and with the tools to build a workplace culture where people feel safe asking for help before a small problem becomes a crisis.

What You Will Learn

This course gives you a step-by-step approach to spotting substance abuse early, understanding your legal responsibilities as an employer, and responding with a plan instead of guesswork. You’ll learn how to build a workplace policy that holds up, document reasonable suspicion the right way, and lead conversations with employees that stay focused on behavior and support rather than blame.

You’ll also learn how to guide employees toward the right resources, apply discipline fairly and consistently, and support a smoother path back to work after treatment. By the end, you’ll have practical language, clear next steps, and a stronger sense of what a recovery-friendly workplace actually looks like day to day.