#E0062 Are Gambling Addicts in the Workplace Invisible?
Are Gambling Addicts in the Workplace Invisible?
Gambling is described as an invisible addiction because external signs of physical and cognitive impairments are barely visible. But like any other addiction, gambling can be destructive and can quickly get out of control if not managed. For companies, the first step is to discover who gambles, its prevalence in the workplace, and the inter- and intra-organizational knowledge of workers concerning gambling.
A group of researchers decided to explore this phenomenon in ten public and private sector organizations in Sweden. In 2016, the Nordic country reported high instances of gambling among its adult population (29%), with 6% classified as at-risk and problem gamblers (ARPGs). In the current randomized control trial, 42% of the 8,672 employees were eligible for inclusion and completed a problem gambling severity index questionnaire.
Respondents’ ages ranged from 15 to ≥55, and they consisted of managers and subordinates. Females constituted the majority of employees (60.3%), managers (52.3%), and subordinates (61.2%). While most employees were cognizant of workplace policies for gaming, alcohol, drugs, and medication, awareness of gambling policies across the different groups was low. For instance, only 11% of managers and 11% of subordinates claimed knowledge. Further, while 4.7% of employees admitted knowing colleagues who gambled at work, only 1.7% expressed concern. Ironically, despite this lack of knowledge about gambling policies and gamblers, 55.4% of the employees indicated that they knew whom to contact about gambling. Only 3.5% of the numbers surveyed were identified as ARPG. Since the population polled was a mixture of white- and blue-collar workers, the researchers were able to pinpoint a higher prevalence among the labor-intensive occupations.
The researchers deduced that workers assigned monotonous tasks were more likely to gamble on the job based on this and previous research. The study also raised questions about employees making moral judgments surrounding gambling in the workplace. Additionally, while women formed the dominant group, men seemed more accepting of the behavior.
The study highlighted ambiguities that would need addressing in workplace policies on gambling. Certainly, companies would need to conduct further research on the subject before implementing guidelines that may force workers to conceal rather than illuminate the issue.
Link to the original journal article:
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/eohp/5/1/5_2022-0020-OA/_article
Title of the paper:
Gambling among employees in Swedish workplaces: A cross-sectional study
Authors:
Jonas Rafi, Petra Lindfors, Per Carlbring
