Guest blog by Dr Georges Petitjean
“We don’t have employees using drugs or alcohol in our organisation”, the HR Director of a major City firm told me, almost 10 years ago. Six months ago, a CEO said, “We never set up drug testing on purpose, because if employees need time off to get treatment for their addiction, I cannot run the business.” Both comments show a culture where addiction is seen as rare, risky to acknowledge, and best left unspoken. In reality, silence keeps people sick and holds organisations back.
Across the UK there is now greater focus on wellbeing at work, and growing recognition of the value occupational health (OH) brings. The CIPD’s latest report shows employees average 9.4 days of sickness absence a year, up from 5.8 before the pandemic. Around 69 per cent of employers provide access to OH, yet only 31 per cent use it proactively and just 29 per cent involve OH in wellbeing strategy. These figures are not specific to addiction, but could raise an essential question: how much absence is linked to unreported substance use or addiction because employees fear disclosure? The data are limited because fear keeps problems hidden.
Addiction (to substances or behavioural addictions such as gambling) is one of the most stigmatised health conditions. Many employees live with it, or are affected by a loved one’s addiction, and often hide it for fear of judgement or career harm. The results: late ‘disclosure’, crisis referrals, prolonged absence, and lost potential, to name a few.
I have been an addiction doctor for many years, and believe there is a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ culture about addiction in the workplace that has gone unchallenged for too long. If we want to reduce risks, lower costs and improve wellbeing, we must build psychological safety. When stigma falls and taboos are tackled, staff can speak earlier and get help sooner.
Though not an OH specialist, I know OH can be a trusted doorway at work. When employees know OH is confidential and non-punitive, disclosure becomes safer and more constructive. The path to treatment and adjustments then becomes clearer.
What can this look like in practice?
- Psychological safety. State in policies and briefings that OH is confidential and that addiction is a treatable health condition.
- People-first language. Replace labels with person-centred terms and give managers simple guidance on how to refer early without shaming.
- Joined-up support. Map NHS and third sector services, EAPs (if the one you use is effective for addiction support), peer networks and adjustments so managers and employees know what happens next.
- Early access. Build pathways so employees can approach OH early on, not only after performance or safety issues appear.
Alongside culture change, we need investment in OH: for manager education, simpler referral routes, and budgets to build links with external services. Modest investment up front can prevent costs later.
This month I am launching WARM, the Workplace Addiction & Recovery Movement, a UK community interest initiative that helps leaders understand addiction and recovery. As part of the movement, I am hosting a monthly interview series with clinicians, OH and HR leaders, people with lived experience, and policymakers (our first episode features Professor Dame Carol Black, who led the UK government-commissioned independent review of illegal drug use in England). These are designed to raise awareness, de-stigmatise addiction and normalise recovery in professional spaces. The full-length interviews will be available exclusively to WARM member organisations.
Addiction has not benefited from the mental health awareness movement of the last decade. It is time for addiction and recovery to have their own movement, and OH has a crucial role in making that possible. A WARM welcome awaits all interested parties.
Dr Georges Petitjean is Founder of WARM and Clinical Director, Inclusion Drugs and Alcohol Treatment Services, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.