Signs & Symptoms of Employee Substance Use in the Workplace
Workplace drug abuse can damage the health of employees as well as overall business performance. Join us to learn how you can handle signs of employee substance abuse in the workplace.
Instructor :
Jo McGuire
Webinar ID:
2984
Date: 16 May 22
Start Time: 11 am PT
Duration: 2 Hrs
What you will learn
- How to recognize the signs and symptoms of employee substance abuse
- How to view the importance of protecting safety over substances
- How to understand best practice methods for approaching an individual
- How to maintain control of the situation with a focus on safe outcomes
- How to recognize the signs and symptoms of employee substance abuse
- How to view the importance of protecting safety over substances
- How to understand best practice methods for approaching an individual
- How to maintain control of the situation with a focus on safe outcomes
- How to create accurate documentation that is simple yet detailed
- How practice scenarios can help supervisors maintain preparedness
Course Description
This is a professional level course qualifying supervisors and managers to make a determination that testing an employee for reasonable suspicion (or cause) is warranted based on observable, articulable behaviors.
The course material will cover:
- The definition of reasonable suspicion
- The legal parameters for employers’
- Common signs and symptoms of overall substance use
- Followed by specific indicators for the separate classes of drugs and alcohol.
- How to properly approach an employee who may be under the influence will also be discussed, with techniques for shifting the environment to gauge the employee’s response.
Suggested practice scenarios will be recommended so that supervisors learn how to think through a suspected substance use case with critical thought while maintaining a calm, controlled, and impartial response.
In addition, recommended documentation of the incidents will be taught and recommendations for how the workplace policy should address the next steps when a test for reasonable suspicion occurs.
Participants may count this course toward U.S. DOT required training, but it is also suitable for the non-DOT workplace.
This is a professional level course qualifying supervisors and managers to make a determination that testing an employee for reasonable suspicion (or cause) is warranted based on observable, articulable behaviors.
The course material will cover:
- The definition of reasonable suspicion
- The legal parameters for employers’
- Common signs and symptoms of overall substance use
- Followed by specific indicators for the separate classes of drugs and alcohol.
- How to properly approach an employee who may be under the influence will also be discussed, with techniques for shifting the environment to gauge the employee’s response.
Suggested practice scenarios will be recommended so that supervisors learn how to think through a suspected substance use case with critical thought while maintaining a calm, controlled, and impartial response.
In addition, recommended documentation of the incidents will be taught and recommendations for how the workplace policy should address the next steps when a test for reasonable suspicion occurs.
Participants may count this course toward U.S. DOT required training, but it is also suitable for the non-DOT workplace.
Why you should attend
This webinar will discuss how problematic substance use may affect the workplace and how an organization can address such issues. Managers and supervisors should be educated on recognizing and dealing with substance use issues, and employees should be offered educational programs.
In addition, understanding the predictors of employee substance use is essential for several reasons:
- First, overall impairment from and work-related use of alcohol and illicit drugs is prevalent in the workforce and in particular subgroups. A national survey of U.S. workers found that in the prior year, 15.3% of the U.S. workforce reported drinking before work, drinking during work hours, or working under the influence of alcohol.
- Work-related employee substance use and impairment may be related to decreased productivity and increased risk of accidents, injuries at work, an increase in health insurance claims, and lower morale among workers who do not use substances at work. As per a study, the loss to companies in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees totals $100 billion a year.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by adopting effective workplace substance abuse policies, employers can see significant improvements in job-related performance:
- 91% decrease in absenteeism
- 88% decrease in problems with supervisors
- 93% decrease in …
This webinar will discuss how problematic substance use may affect the workplace and how an organization can address such issues. Managers and supervisors should be educated on recognizing and dealing with substance use issues, and employees should be offered educational programs.
In addition, understanding the predictors of employee substance use is essential for several reasons:
- First, overall impairment from and work-related use of alcohol and illicit drugs is prevalent in the workforce and in particular subgroups. A national survey of U.S. workers found that in the prior year, 15.3% of the U.S. workforce reported drinking before work, drinking during work hours, or working under the influence of alcohol.
- Work-related employee substance use and impairment may be related to decreased productivity and increased risk of accidents, injuries at work, an increase in health insurance claims, and lower morale among workers who do not use substances at work. As per a study, the loss to companies in the United States due to alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees totals $100 billion a year.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by adopting effective workplace substance abuse policies, employers can see significant improvements in job-related performance:
- 91% decrease in absenteeism
- 88% decrease in problems with supervisors
- 93% decrease in mistakes in work
- 97% decrease in on-the-job injuries
Areas Covered
- The definition and parameters for reasonable suspicion or for-cause testing
- The common signs and symptoms of substance abuse in the workplace
- The effect of drugs and alcohol on employees
- How to safely approach a suspected employee with the goal of a productive outcome
- How to overcome common excuses that detract from the safety mission
- How documentation and policy clarity protect the employer’s position
- The definition and parameters for reasonable suspicion or for-cause testing
- The common signs and symptoms of substance abuse in the workplace
- The effect of drugs and alcohol on employees
- How to safely approach a suspected employee with the goal of a productive outcome
- How to overcome common excuses that detract from the safety mission
- How documentation and policy clarity protect the employer’s position
Who is this course for
- Small business owners
- Safety managers
- HR personnel
- Contractors
- Operations managers
- Any individual responsible for hiring, retaining, or supervising employees
- Small business owners
- Safety managers
- HR personnel
- Contractors
- Operations managers
- Any individual responsible for hiring, retaining, or supervising employees
Instructor Profile
Jo McGuire was the founding Chairman and currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association, advocating for safe and drug-free workplaces worldwide. She is also a Certified Professional Collector and Trainer (CPCT) and a Certified Designated Employee Representative Trainer (CDERT), who consults and trains professionals overseeing Safety Sensitive Employees in the compliance of federal DOT guidelines for drug and alcohol screening programs.
Jo also assists educators with classroom and assembly-style presentations, aimed at youth drug prevention, and parent awareness and education. She is also the President/CEO of Five Minutes of Courage as well as a featured speaker on the National Marijuana Initiative’s speaker’s bureau. As an accomplished writer and speaker, Jo has traveled extensively to conduct seminars, trainings, conferences and leadership retreats for the public, private and non-profit sector.
Jo participated in the 1st annual Latin American Congress on Safe and Drug-Free Workplaces in Santiago, Chile, representing employer’s rights to maintain best practices in substance use prevention, as modeled in the U.S. In 2013 she was appointed to serve on the Colorado Governor’s Task Force, convened to recommend a legislative framework for the regulation of marijuana after the passage of Amendment 64.
As a part of the Taxation, Banking and Civil Law work group, Jo lent her expertise in the form of recommendations for drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. She also represented the National Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry at the 2016 United Nations’ General Assembly to address world drug agreements.
Jo has also joined efforts with concerned citizens around the state of Colorado in grass roots efforts focused on bringing the proven medical research and scientific data to the forefront of the national effort to legalize marijuana in the U.S. Jo works closely with national health experts to educate state and federal policy makers on the importance of public health, pertaining to drug and alcohol testing practices and policies.
