Love Your Employees, the UK’s first employee benefits and well-being marketplace, has recently unveiled the findings of a survey regarding the well-being of employees across the UK.

The survey, which has helped to construct its 5 Pillars of Employee Wellbeing Report this year, has revealed an insight into how addiction is handled in the workplace across the nation.

54% of employers are interested in offering addiction support, yet only 4% have already implemented this. On the other hand, a staggering 41% of workplaces are not interested in offering this service to their employees at all.

Elliott Smith, co-founder of Love Your Employees, has discussed the report and the findings: “In terms of counselling for addiction, 13% of employers have this in place in the business while 26.3% are interested in providing this. Unfortunately, this means that 60.7% of employers are not interested in offering counselling for their people.”

“While it’s interesting to see how many employers are interested in offering support for addiction, it’s clear that there are measures that must be put in place, as well as the need for more employers to recognise the issue.

“Addiction is often filed in the ‘too difficult’ pile. It will need sensitivity, expertise, and braveness to a certain extent to tackle what is a common problem area. Funding in this area has been disseminated over the last 10 to 12 years, and for many there is nothing available where they live. Perhaps there are rewards to be had by offering this kind of support in the workplace.

“Helping to move those with problems from chaotic functioning towards a higher level of wellbeing and performance is in both employee and employer interests.”

Not only does addiction to substances have an effect on mental health, with things like cannabis increasing the risk of depression and anxiety, but it can also cost the business itself. UK employers face a loss of £7.3 billion annually due to a decrease in productivity resulting from the misuse of alcohol, which is just one of the many areas of addiction. In fact, substance abuse accounts for 60% of poor performance in the workplace.

Smith continued: “The influence of addiction is severe, and given the impact it can have on businesses, it demonstrates how vital employees are in the workplace.

“While there is a large proportion of employers interested in offering addiction support, it’s crucial that they take action and implement the necessary measures for employees. As well as this, employers who have no interest at all must recognise the drastic effects on both the workers and the business."

Love Your Employees have been in the industry for more than 12 years and continue to evolve as the demands of workers changes, from lifestyle changes to technology, and strive for a healthy working environment for employees which provides solutions for challenges they may face. To find out more, visit https://loveyouremployees.co.uk/.