In spite of cultural and religious taboos in UAE, substance use issues are evolving rapidly. It’s imperative for businesses to recognise addiction within the workplace, and ensure all affected employees are adequately supported.
In doing this, businesses are protecting their culture, turnover, and productivity, ultimately saving costs. Let’s discuss how UAE employers can be proactive about addiction in the workplace, and why this aligns with recent legal changes.
The Clinical Landscape: Treatment and Recovery in Context
To address addiction empathetically and knowledgeably, it’s important to understand the basics of treatment and recovery for substance use disorders.
Those with an addiction to alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, prescription drugs, or any other harmful substance, can access clinical treatment. This usually involves an alcohol detox and alcohol rehab.
- Alcohol Detox: Over time, the patient withdraws from the substance they are addicted to, and they are treated with medication to manage this process.
- Alcohol Rehab: Patients either stay in rehab (usually for up to 28 days), or commute to rehab, to follow a structured, personalised programme including behavioural support, education, workshops, and aftercare.
How Does This Affect UAE Workplaces?
For individuals facing addiction, clinical treatment offers a strong foundation for maintaining sobriety. Their capacity for long-term work increases, and their physical and mental health improves.
Whilst this foundation may be strong, workplace support is still fundamental for the employee’s wellbeing. Working for an employer who is educated in addiction and supportive of recovery may be the only reason a patient is able to advance in their career while maintaining sobriety.
Addiction and the Workforce in UAE
Below, we list some facts about how addiction affects the workforce in the UAE:
1. Addiction in UAE
The rise of addiction in UAE may be surprising for many, given the country operates under Sharia law, which forbids drug and alcohol consumption. However, much like many countries around the world, UAE is experiencing significant drug and alcohol use issues.
A blending of cultures may be somewhat to blame, with expats introducing their lenient drinking attitudes to UAE. The country’s location may also be a key factor; it is a key route for the transit of narcotics, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, and heroin.
When we look at the common types of substances used, this becomes evident. 380,085 of adults are using cannabis, 14,077 are drinking alcohol in harmful ways, and 1,408 are consuming opiates.
2. Workplace Addiction in UAE
While specific workplace data is limited, with more and more UAE residents dealing with addiction, there is no doubt that this is having a harmful knock-on effect on the workplace.
The cost of addiction in UAE, recorded as $5.47 billion in 2012, is equivalent to 1.4% of GDP. If we zoom in further, we find that the largest contributor is productivity costs, representing 88% of the overall cost of addiction.
Employers are paying for addiction without even realising. High rates of absenteeism, quality issues, reduced engagement, and interpersonal conflicts can all stem from addiction and contribute to low productivity.
What’s the Situation in the UK?
The UK shares similarities with UAE in terms of increasing addiction and its professional consequences. However, the situation is more extreme. Around 3.1% of adults in England exhibit signs of drug dependence, while 16.6% report drinking at hazardous levels.
A notable 34% of employees report having used substances or witnessed addictive behaviours during working hours. Many of these instances could be linked to workplace stress, with 48% of employees stating this as the key factor behind their addictive behaviours.
Whilst the attitude towards drugs and alcohol is much less negative in the UK, 51% of employees believe stigma prevents people from seeking help at work (6). Evidently, shame is still strongly associated with addiction in the UK.
Comparing these statistics with UAE figures shows that addiction severely impacts core productivity metrics and has the power to destroy businesses.
The Business Impact: Productivity, Absenteeism and Turnover
Below, we outline how addiction impacts businesses:
- Productivity: Addiction causes a range of physical and mental symptoms that can majorly interfere with an employee’s ability to perform well and meet targets. Headaches, fatigue, and indecisiveness are all common culprits.
- Absenteeism: People with addiction are much more likely to miss a day of work, which has significant effects on operations, team cohesiveness, and overall company costs.
- Turnover: Employees battling a substance use disorder may struggle to stay in one job, affecting the company’s turnover rate and costs.
Practical Strategies for UAE Businesses to Address Addiction in the Workforce
Below, we outline how businesses can tackle this issue:
- Supportive Environment: Introduce peer support programmes or Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) to ensure addiction and mental health support is available for all. The more people engaged with these programmes, the less stigma attached to seeking help within your business.
- Training and Awareness: Ensure all staff members understand the signs of addiction, and know how to proceed within the workplace if they see those signs. Additionally, incorporate cultural context into training sessions to ensure UAE citizens and expats can maintain sensitivity when addressing addiction.
- Workplace Policies: If it’s not written down, it’s not reliable. Amend your policies to allow for easy access to professional support, such as creating referral pathways to alcohol rehabs in UAE.
- Flexible Return-to-work Plans: Phased integration can help employees transition back into work after rehab. It may look like shorter days, temporary part-time roles, or job sharing. Anything that increases flexibility for the employee makes their return to work more manageable.
How Can Technology Help?
Using technology as part of addiction support brings efficiency, convenience, and accessibility to workplace processes. It’s at its most effective when used alongside in-person measures.
Digital tools don’t have to be extremely advanced, it could be something as simple as recommending a recovery app to an employee, or:
- Providing virtual training on stress management for remote employees
- Promoting digital journaling
- Recommending local peer support groups
Much of the stigma surrounding recovery is reduced when technology is involved. Employees can receive adequate support without feeling as though their addiction is highly visible within the workplace.
Overall, digital tools encourage self-awareness and accountability, which can help staff to understand their workplace needs, and know when to ask for further support.
The Legal Side of Addressing Addiction
For employers who are concerned about the legal ramifications of addressing addiction, please be reassured that UAE has recently made strides in integrating this into the law.
Federal Law No.10 of 2023 on Psychiatric Health protects employees’ rights, dignity and confidentiality, and requires employers to be proactive when dealing with workplace mental health issues, such as providing training and establishing protocols.
In other words, it is no longer acceptable for UAE companies to fail to act on mental health issues, including addiction, within the workplace.
Conclusion
Company growth is about more than hitting targets. Investing in addiction support helps employees stay healthy, present, and productive, whilst contributing to long-term financial success.
By supporting staff with substance use issues, businesses are demonstrating compliance with the law, dedication to their staff, and a drive to reduce hidden costs.
