By Professor Marcantonio Spada, Chief Clinical Officer at Onebright, the UK’s largest outpatient mental healthcare provider.
Problem gambling is growing at pace in the UK. It is estimated that 0.5% of the adult population engages in some form of problematic gambling behaviour. This equates to circa 260,000 individuals. Furthermore, 3.8% of the adult population are at-risk levels and 7% are affected negatively by other people’s gambling. This means that most workplaces are highly likely to be impacted by problem gambling.
Why the increase in problematic gambling behaviour?
There are several factors, but let’s focus on a recent one: Lockdowns during the pandemic led to people being isolated for long periods of time and losing the many benefits brought by social interaction. Typical daily routines were turned on their heads and individuals resorted to new activities to escape and distract themselves from isolation. One of these was gambling. Others included alcohol use, gaming, pornography and problematic technological use.
The increase in technology and online gambling apps over the past few years has also meant greater access to gambling ‘anywhere’. There is no longer the need to leave the home and go to a betting shop or sports venue to bet. You can literally gamble anywhere. In the last month alone, 22 million adults in the UK have gambled.
Increasing social inequality, political instability, and financial hardship are some of the powerful stressors that many are facing today and struggling to cope with. Gambling offers the opportunity, albeit only in the short-term and with huge personal and social costs, to escape these stressors.
Over the next 5 – 10 years problem gambling is likely to continue to increase unless firm measures are taken to support those in need, reduce the numerous societal stressors we are facing, and limit the capacity and opportunity to gamble to the extent we can do at present.
Why does your organisation need to pay attention to this?
Problem gambling is fast becoming a significant challenge for organisations. The excess costs of harmful gambling (direct financial cost to government plus societal value of health impacts) were estimated to be between £1.05 and £1.77 billion for England in 2023.
Furthermore, those presenting with problematic gambling behaviours are more likely to be less productive, absent from work, on long term sickness and, in severe cases, involved in illegal activities in the workplace, such as fraud.
What signs should you look out for in employees?
There are several signs to look out for in an employee who may be affected by problem gambling, including (but not limited to):
- Erratic and continually unusual behaviour
- Tiredness
- Emotional imbalance – the person may appear more anxious, have mood swings, or have withdrawn and be experiencing depressed mood
- Constant interaction with phone or other types of electronic devices
- Taking long breaks away from their desk
- Trying to hide something
How can workplaces support employees with problem gambling?
One of the most valuable courses of action to take is to understand and monitor employees’ mental health. This can be done in a variety of ways, including setting up anonymous surveys for employees to find out how they are feeling, line management reviews of performance data to pick up any trends / patterns that may indicate significant behavioural change, educational sessions, and clear information regarding support available.
Instilling a company culture where everyone feels empowered to talk about their health and wellbeing is also key. As an employer, you have an obligation to look after the wellbeing of your employees at work. This should be led from the top down and ‘modelled’ as an organisational hallmark.
Internal methods for open communication, such as surveys, tea and chats, and 121s are great, but you could also look at external channels, such as therapists or counsellors whom an individual can speak to if they don’t want to speak with someone at work, or if they need to delve into matters with the support of a specialist. Also, asking employees what support they would like will ensure they are likely to be offered what they need.
Upskilling and training managers about problem gambling can be of enormous use. Senior leaders and line managers should have an understanding of the nature of problem gambling, its tell-tale signs, and how to approach an employee when they think this condition may be present. This will not only help individuals to be able to seek the support needed, but act as a method of prevention and early intervention.
When it comes to tackling problem gambling, start by having a policy in place, so that everyone knows what help is available to them, especially if you are able to provide support via employee assistance programmes, clinical mental health support and other channels. Make sure your employees know how they can access and use that support. It is best for individuals to access this support early on, before a significant ‘clinical’ problem arises.