Imagine walking into work every morning, coffee in hand, believing you’ve staffed a high-performing team only to realize the company is quietly bleeding money, talent, and trust. That’s the reality substance use quietly creates in workplaces across America. It’s invisible until it isn’t — until a deadline is missed, a qualified employee doesn’t show up, or safety becomes a concern.
Recent research now quantifies what many HR professionals have long felt in their bones: in 2023 alone, substance use disorders accounted for nearly $93 billion in lost productivity nationwide, including absenteeism, presenteeism, and employees unable to work at all.
That number isn’t some abstract statistic. It’s real dollars leaving your bottom line. It’s morale eroding in silence. It’s high-potential employees struggling without the tools to thrive. And as HR leaders, we can’t afford to treat this as someone else’s problem.
The traditional approach — ignore, enforce, and hope it goes away — isn’t just ineffective, it’s costly. Employers who proactively support workers through recovery save on average over $8,500 per employee each year and see improvements in attendance and retention.
This course is for HR professionals who see both sides of the ledger — the human and the financial — and who know that fostering a thriving workforce means addressing challenges head-on with empathy and strategy. We’re not here to diagnose. We’re here to equip you with the language, the frameworks, and the confidence to take thoughtful action that supports employees and protects your organization.
If you’ve ever wondered how to start that first conversation, build better policies, or shift culture toward care instead of fear, this course is your starting point. Because ignoring substance use at work hasn’t made it go away — but understanding it might just save your workplace.
I am here to help with my course for Human Resources professionals, Addressing Substance Use in the Workplace, with 2 Professional Development Credits (PDC) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
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