Alcohol misuse, substance dependency and problem gambling are among the most significant - and most consistently underestimated - causes of lost productivity, absence and talent attrition in UK organisations today.

Research from the CIPD and UK Government indicates that, “alcohol-related sickness absence alone costs the UK economy up to £6.4 billion annually in lost output”. A growing body of evidence points to problem gambling as an equally hidden and damaging issue, particularly in high-pressure, high-earning work environments.

Most organisations recognise the problem in the abstract. Fewer have the framework, the training, or the culture to act on it with any consistency. The result is predictable: capable employees lost to untreated dependency, managers ill-equipped to respond, legal exposure from poorly handled disciplinary cases, and a cultural silence that makes early intervention almost impossible.