How To Deal With Gambling Addiction at Work – The African Exponent

The digital era brought us a lot of good things - all the information in the world is just a few clicks away, we can talk face-to-face while being miles apart, or work in the same virtual office with people from across the globe. However, this level of accessibility also has the potential to harm us - were always dancing on the thin line between usefulness and abuse.

Practically everyone has a smartphone or a tablet by now, and reaching gambling sites has been made far too easy. Gambling is the kind of activity that starts as something we do for fun, but it can quickly pull us into the vicious circle of addiction. Once that happens, we risk ruining our relationships with family and friends, financial security, and losing our jobs. Since this is an important topic that doesnt get discussed nearly enough, we decided to do our own research and create a guide for employers on how to provide proper support to employees endangered by gambling addiction.

Gambling Addiction in Numbers

Before we give any practical advice on dealing with an employee with a gambling addiction, lets look into how gambling affects people in general. Stats tell us that 0.6% of the adult population has, or had, problems with gambling. If we include people with less severe addictions, the number goes up to 2.3%.

When an employee suffers from gambling addiction, so does their work performance. According to a study from the NSW Government, almost 25% of gamblers admitted that their addiction impacted their work ability. This drop in performance can manifest in many ways, from using workplace technology to access gambling sites to office absenteeism to indulge in gambling. Its essential to recognize the signs of gambling addiction on time, so well list the most common ones here:

These signs may or may not be caused to gambling addiction, but theyre undoubtedly red flags an employer should address before they turn into bigger problems that will be both costly and time-consuming to resolve.

What To Do When You Suspect an Employee Is Struggling With Gambling Addiction

Wrapping It Up

Gambling addiction is a severe problem that should never be ignored. Unaddressed gambling has the potential to ruin lives and turn great employees into disconnected and unproductive husks. Employers should support their employees on their journey to recovery, but, to do that, they have to be able to recognize early signs and address them promptly before the addiction causes any irreversible damage.

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How To Deal With Gambling Addiction at Work - The African Exponent