Manager support for addiction

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy module.

I'm Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll be discussing alcohol addiction.

I'm delighted to be joined by Steven Costin, corporate account manager at Bupa and Nick Conn, the founder and CEO of Help 4 Addiction.

Welcome both. Thanks for joining.

So, Steven, if we can start with you first.

Can you start by telling us a bit about your own journey with alcohol addiction and how it impacted your personal and professional life?

Yeah, sure.

So, I think I've always been a big drinker. since I was sort of 15, 16, like most people do, I suppose.

And then, being of the era I was, it was the pub most days and playing football and back to the pub again.

That went on for a number of years and people told me over the years, “you drink a lot, you drink too much,” and you just kind of put it down to being age, and it's all right.

I'm still going to work.

I'm still doing what I need to do. and then during lockdown, it just got really, really bad.

Got to the stage where I was drinking far too much.

It wasn't even enjoyable drinking.

A lot of it's blurry.

And then all of a sudden, it came to the end, where I was close to losing everything.

I think by this stage where my drinking had it got me to was my partner had had enough.

I run the risk of losing my partner, losing my little lad, so something had to be done about it.

In relation to work, yeah, I think you know, I was, I was, I was a little bit of an alcoholic.

I could go in and do my job on a daily basis, but however, I think, though, if I carried on the way I was going, that would have ended up impacting my work as well at the end of the day and, like I say, if if I lost my family and my job on the back of alcohol it’d just been not acceptable.

In terms of volumes and stuff like, can you give us an idea how much – what were you drinking?

I was probably doing either 3 or 4 bottles of wine. depending on when it was, etc..

A day? Yeah.

So it was, it was, it was, it was a vast amount, but it was just because I was at a constant level, it didn't seem that much.

Yeah.

Do you know, if I spoke to people about it, they said, “I don't often see you drunk.

Never see you falling about the pub.” It's because it was just at a constant level.

So, Nick, over to you.

What behaviours do you think could indicate an employee is struggling with alcohol addiction?

And what signs should managers be aware of?

So that there could be a million answers for that. and everyone's reasons and what everyone does are all very different, but there's some common ones.

So lateness, sickness, smelling of alcohol. like Steve was saying before, but when we were having a chat prior, from his experience, he would always have his camera off on a team's meeting.

So that's that's obviously a big one.

With alcoholism, generally it's secret drinking.

So if you notice people taking bags to the toilet, it could be could be something going on there as well.

In what way did your alcohol addiction impact your ability to perform in your job? Yeah.

I mean, from my point of view, I thought I performed like a normally would do.

I'm sure that if you ask someone from the outside they probably noticed that I deteriorated over the the lockdown period where everything from my point of view was, was a chore.

You know, just doing a little mundane thing in work all of a sudden become a massive chore for me.

Patience levels are really, really low and quite, quite cranky.

But in relation to doing my job, I'd say no.

I was doing my job the way I normally do it.

I think you'd probably have to ask somebody externally or someone who was looking at me to say to that change in that period or that changed.

And during that time, did anyone you know ever ask you if you were okay?

Did anyone suspect or because you were at home was that...?

I think,

I think over the past few years, 4 or 5 years, people have kind of suspected I've had a problem with it. but, you know, I think one it's hard – how would you ask that question to somebody without that person taking it as an offence or not?

No, no one came out and asked me that question.

I think people have had thoughts about it.

Well, yeah, I think Steve's got a problem. but in relation to somebody asking me. No.

And that's a really good point there Nick.

So, you know, as a line manager, how do you initiate that conversation if you are concerned about an employee?

It's a tricky one.

I think the fact is initially it has to be based on facts, not assumptions, because there's a high chance that that person's not acknowledged it themself.

So they're going to be, they're going to try and push that question back.

They're going to be resistant. They're going to... it may trigger emotions for them.

But the fact is it's important to realise that alcohol is not somebody's problem.

It's their solution.

So there's a lot of underlying things going on there.

And obviously you have no idea what that is.

So it's important to keep it factual and be compassionate at the same time.

I think as well as a manager, if you if you know you're going to approach that conversation, you have sort of the opportunity to prepare what you're going to say.

So line managers need to realise that that person is hearing in this, completely unprepared.

So it's not uncommon, is it, for them to shut that conversation down quite quickly.

No, because you can, like I said, keeping it factual.

So if you're, you've got a list of how many sick days they have or latenesses or, people that have said they've smelt alcohol on them several times.

And when you're bringing those facts to it, rather than saying, I believe that you might have an alcohol addiction, it's going to open up a whole argument.

Keep it factual, but be compassionate.

And equally as well.

I think it's important to understand, you know, addiction is an illness.

It's not a lifestyle choice.

And sometimes there's a misconception around that.

And people aren't as sympathetic might be the wrong word, but they may be very judgemental.

When nobody grows up saying, when I'm older, I want to become an alcoholic, right?

People also have a perception that an alcoholic is someone that's drinking on a park bench with a brown paper bag.

The fact is, with alcoholism, you have a drink, you find it hard to stop.

And Stephen, what advice would you give then to other people who might be struggling with alcohol addiction?

Yeah, I think, I think you've been sort of hitting the nail on the head with it's an illness as such.

And I think when I was going through mine, I just,

I just kind of thought I just enjoyed a drink and I was just a drunk and there was no underlying reason behind it.

And that was just my lifestyle.

And that's what I wanted to do.

I don't think it's until I went inside of the rehab side that they really nail it down and tell you actually, you have got an illness.

You're ill.

And more along those lines.

So I think once people get that in their head, it's not just your lifestyle either.

And there is a ways around it.

And I think, you know, you can have to open up and speak to people.

But I think I think, Nick, you mentioned it.

You need to admit to yourself first of all.

And that's the big one.

If people aren’t willing, it doesn't really matter from a manager's point of view, or a line manager’s point of view, what those questions are if the individual's not going to open up themselves and admit it, it's a really, really hard conversation for any form of manager to have.

And I suppose, that individual – I'm not seeing people enjoy the effects of being, you know, addicted to alcohol– but the thought of them that if they admit they’ve got a problem, they get the help they'll never be able to drink again.

Did you ever think of that?

And that be what put you off so you can help sooner?

No, I wouldn't say it put me off seeking help sooner.

I think that I got stage when I was just close to losing everything. and that really, really dawned on me, and I had to do that.

I think since I've gone into my recovery, that has hit me, about ten months into it, where I really feel like this is me now, this is my life, and I, like, I can't have a drink.

And me and Nick spoke before about this.

And, you know, at the end of the day, it's that's down to me.

That's my problem.

I've caused that issue myself.

So when I every time I get annoyed that I can't have a drink, there's no one else to blame but myself.

But yeah, it's just I just think it's, people have got to open up a little bit more, and, and I think the stigma isn't attached anymore.

Nick was quite right in what you said.

You say alcoholic, you think of someone sat on a park bench with a brown bag – that isn't the case at all.

And, isn't it like that at all?

And, Nick, you know, were here from a line manager perspective.

What are those workplace factors that could contribute to someone misusing alcohol?

And, you know, what can line managers do then to reduce those?

I mean, social events in licensed premises, are an obvious one.

Lunch meetings and alcohol, in those premises is another one.

I think encouraging sober months, you know, joining being part of that celebrating wins you know in that sense.

But it's adopting a new culture. Right.

But I think ultimately it's about awareness.

And if you can create awareness and create and open up that conversation in the workplace where people don't feel like....

So from my from my experience, I was a police officer with a cocaine addiction. but I couldn't go to my sergeants because of the job that I was in.

It was it was a no go.

However, if the conversation was open and you could see that the organisation were actively trying to make that conversation open, where I felt probably more comfortable in coming forward.

That's a different kettle of fish.

So opening up the conversation on addiction in the workplace is is a good start.

You’re right and I think, you know with any addiction, drugs, alcohol, there is that fear that if I tell someone I'm going to lose my job and then I can't pay my bills, and then what do I do?

So I can understand why people are hesitant.

But I suppose, like you say, as long as the culture try and people are there willing to support that individual, then you know, all we can do is ask that people.... Absolutely.

And if you adopt it where you do open it up and you do welcome people to come if they have a problem, rather than giving them the impression that they're going to be fired.

I mean, it obviously depends on the role that they're in if they're an airline pilot, right? Yeah.

You can have to say, okay, you're going to be grounded for a bit.

Yeah. Right. But it's important fundamentally you can do all of these things.

The sober months, the walking, you know, all these things.

But opening up that conversation is probably the most important part.

And what resources or assistance can line managers signpost employees to struggling with alcohol addiction, specifically in the workplace?

So I think, I mean, there's quite there's quite a few services to to keep it simple.

You've obviously got occupational health.

You've got services like Help 4 Addiction, which can look at all private options, all statutory options, charitable options, faith based options depending on what what meets their needs.

So and that way because it can be very complex because it's understanding, does the person require a medical detox or not.

And so you don't want to just if you just put them into therapy it's going to be a waste of time because if they require a detox, you detox first before the therapy.

So there's a whole process and having the understanding there is is a lot to put on someone.

So reach out to help for addiction or to occupational health and and we can help.

Thank you both for joining me today.

It's been a really interesting, session.

So thank you.

In terms of mental health support that we have at Bupa we do have our mental health hub that's on our website.

We also have our partnership with JAAQ, an online mental health platform.

So please visit www.jaaq.org.

And then lastly with our mental health cover for any employees that have got private medical insurance, they can call and speak to a trained advisor directly if they have mental health or addiction concerns.

And depending on their cover, they can be referred to a mental health practitioner, usually without seeing a GP first.