News | MEP MIS

European Network for Workplace Health promotion (ENWHP) launches return to work guidelines

Richard Wynne — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:16:21 GMT

New EU study on alcohol and drugs at work

Richard Wynne — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:53:45 GMT

Study in 9 countries

UK charity urges government to act on workplace drinking

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:29:00 GMT

Alcohol Concern has recommended to government a specific policy to address alcohol be included as an "explicit requirement" in the Corporate Governance Code that sets out the responsibilities of the Boards of companies listed in the UK. Lost productivity and absenteeism because of alcohol was shown to cost the economy 14 million working days and up to £6.4billion each year and businesses need to do more to help change employees attitudes to alcohol. It is thought 10 million men and women in England drink above the recommended guidelines and every day, 200,000 people go to work in the UK with a hangover. Under the Corporate Governance Code, listed companies must provide a framework for risk to be assessed and managed and ensure the necessary human resources are in place to meet business objectives and obligations to shareholders. Alcohol Concern argues that an effective alcohol policy is a material component of business strategy and that, as employees are a key business asset, boards should have a formal responsibility to address financial losses incurred through their reduced performance caused by alcohol. By failing to do this, and in many cases to even recognise the impact of alcohol misuse, Boards are neither complying with the spirit or the letter of the Code. As well as asking for Government support to address the issues from a policy perspective, Alcohol Concern is writing to the Chairmen of FTSE 250 companies directly to propose a solution to workplace alcohol issues. Alcohol Concern has entered into a partnership with BreathScan, a workplace alcohol specialist, to develop innovative ways to tackle drinking culture and improve employee wellbeing and productivity. Research carried out by BreathScan among FTSE 250 companies shows that most of them are ignoring alcohol as an issue in the workplace. Only one fifth (55 out of 250) have obvious alcohol awareness policies. BreathScan looked at published materials such as annual reports and websites for each company, as well as contacting their HR departments to ask whether they had an alcohol policy. Out of the 250 companies, six actually stated that they have no plans to implement such a policy in the future and another two said they would only do so if forced by law to do so. Alcohol Concern chief executive Eric Appleby said: "Companies simply have to address attitudes to alcohol and drinking behaviours - it is costing the economy billions every year. The evidence is that Boards are not taking the issue seriously and that's why we are calling on the Government to include alcohol policy as a specific requirement under the Corporate Governance Code. This will help improve the wellbeing of employees, and at the same time, improve efficiency and productivity."

Two-thirds of London employees will let alcohol affect their work this Christmas

Emma George — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:11:46 GMT

More than two thirds of London professionals admit will come into work with a hangover during this year’s Christmas party season according to new research by LondonlovesBusiness. The research, which polled 500 middle managers, shows Londoners intend to hit it hard this season with nearly two fifths (39%) admitting their boozing might impact on how well they do their job. Further compounding London's status as a boozy capital, nearly a fifth (17%) of professionals say they will be suffering the after effects of alcohol on at least three days of their working week. More than three quarters (82%) of the female managers polled say their company drinks socially. More than a third 35% of all respondents reveal their firm either has a 'strong drinking culture' or that they 'often drink together'. When questioned on how often they get drunk with their colleagues, nearly a tenth (9%) of women admit to doing so at least once a week or more. However, almost a third (30%) of respondents say they only get drunk at special occasions such as Christmas parties. Sophie Hobson, editor of LondonlovesBusiness, said: "It's no secret that stressed-at-work professionals turn to alcohol to help relieve their stress, but I did not think the numbers of those boozing frequently would be so high. "The research clearly indicates that there will be an awful lot of fuzzy headed professionals over the Christmas party season, and business leaders should not expect to see their best performances."

Peer pressure forces employees to take drugs at work

Emma George — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:19:20 GMT

The study, which polled 500 intermediate managers in London, reveals 21% use drugs due to peer pressure in the work place. Worryingly, 21% also reveal they take them in order to conform with their boss, possibly in the hopes of being promoted. Other reasons cited for taking illegal drugs at work are that the drugs encourage creativity (12%) and help manage the stress of the job (10%). Of those consuming drugs at work, a vast majority (90%) are choosing 'class A' drugs, with two fifths (40%) taking cocaine. A fifth (20%) of those taking drugs in the workplace admit to taking MDMA and Ecstasy, whilst nearly a tenth (8%) are choosing dangerous party drug GHB. Sophie Hobson, editor of Londonlovesbusiness, said: "These results are startling. Although there is a general awareness that drug use goes on in the work place, the research highlights just how prevalent this issue is in London businesses, which is particularly worrying with the Christmas party season just around the corner. "Tory MP Louise Mensch recently admitted to taking drugs whilst working for EMI and according to the research, clearly she's not the only one." Drug deaths are three times the average in the EU, having risen to 49 out of every one million people in 2006 to 59 out of every 1million in 2009, according to figures from the EU drug agency.

UK longer drinking hours ‘drive up workplace absence’

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:42:00 GMT

Készül az új Nemzeti Drogstratégia

Szabó Gyula — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:24:16 GMT

Lezárult az új nemzeti drogstratégia társadalmi és szakmai vitája. A Tervezet végleges szövege várhatóan október elejére készült el.

Welsh consultancy provides answers to dealing with employees on drink and drugs

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:42:00 GMT

A WELSH workplace health consultancy has led the development of new Europe-wide guidelines to help managers deal with employees under the influence of drink or drugs.The Leonardo Foundation, part of the EC’s Lifelong Learning Programme, commissioned a project called Mepmis – Maximising Employee Potential by Minimising the Impact of Substances – to provide managers with the knowledge and confidence to take appropriate action.

Representatives of seven countries were selected to develop and pilot the service and the job of leading the two-year project was given to Cardiff-based specialists work2health Ltd.

It is the latest in a series of international commissions for the consultancy, which in Wales helps deliver the Welsh Government’s flagship Corporate Health Standard for public and private sector organisations. The project team looked at legislation, literature, company policies and practices and what support is currently available to organisations in different countries and sectors. They have distilled best practice into an e-learning and on-site training resource for managers.

John Griffiths of work2health said: “We spoke to managers and occupational health and safety professionals in each country and asked them what they perceived as their main challenges in this area and what they felt they needed in terms of information and support.

“They are aware that this problem – and associated issues such as testing – can be a legal and social minefield and they want to know what actions are open to them, what’s expected of them and what the sensitivities are.

“This is a complex issue; the problem cannot be ignored but employers who think they can simply dismiss workers or force them to undergo tests without developing and implementing proper policies, procedures and training are likely to face a host of problems.”

Read the full aricle at walesonline.co.uk.

Sleep disturbance and the effects of extended-release zolpidem during cannabis withdrawal.

Giuseppe Masanotti — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:56:41 GMT

Sleep difficulty is a common symptom of cannabis withdrawal, but little research has objectively measured sleep or explored the effects of hypnotic medication on sleep during cannabis withdrawal. Twenty daily cannabis users completed a within-subject crossover study. Participants alternated between periods of ad libitum cannabis use and short-term cannabis abstinence (3 days). Placebo was administered at bedtime during one abstinence period (withdrawal test) and extended-release zolpidem, a non-benzodiazepine GABA(A) receptor agonist, was administered during the other. Polysomnographic (PSG) sleep architecture measures, subjective ratings, and cognitive performance effects were assessed each day. During the placebo-abstinence period, participants had decreased sleep efficiency, total sleep time, percent time spent in Stage 1 and Stage 2 sleep, REM latency and subjective sleep quality, as well as increased sleep latency and time spent in REM sleep compared with when they were using cannabis. Zolpidem attenuated the effects of abstinence on sleep architecture and normalized sleep efficiency scores, but had no effect on sleep latency. Zolpidem was not associated with any significant side effects or next-day cognitive performance impairments. These data extend prior research that indicates abrupt abstinence from cannabis can lead to clinically significant sleep disruption in daily users. The findings also indicate that sleep disruption associated with cannabis withdrawal can be attenuated by zolpidem, suggesting that hypnotic medications might be useful adjunct pharmacotherapies in the treatment of cannabis use disorders. Vandrey R, Smith MT, McCann UD, Budney AJ, Curran EM. Sleep disturbance and the effects of extended-release zolpidem during cannabis withdrawal. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011 Aug 1;117(1):38-44.

The relationship between anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders: a review of major perspectives and findings

Giuseppe Masanotti — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 07:52:59 GMT

MEPMIS Launch

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:25:00 GMT

Date: 22nd September 2011

Venue: The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (John Snow House)

Time: 11.00am - 12.00pm

The inauguration of the MEPMIS learning resources will take place on 22nd September at The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health. The event will
present, for the first time, the MEPMIS e-learning package and the face-to-face training resource and how they are addressing a need of line managers across Europe. The event will close the event by taking a forward look of the MEPMIS project - how the learning materials will be disseminated, and how interested parties can access the materials.

If you would like to attend the event (there is no charge for attendance), please contact the MEPMIS UK project managers at work2health on 02920388477.

'Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing in Workplaces' Conference in Berlin 3/4 March 2011

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:51:28 GMT

Call for action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol

Stefanos Koukoulas — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Countries agree to fight the harmful use of alcohol with global strategy
21 MAY 2010 | GENEVA -- For the first time, delegations from all 193 Member States of World Health Organization (WHO) reached consensus at the World Health Assembly on a resolution to confront the harmful use of alcohol -- which contributes to poor health globally, can devastate families and damage the structure of communities.

Facts on alcohol
Every year, the harmful use of alcohol kills 2.5 million people, including 320 000 young people between 15 and 29 years of age. It is the eight leading risk factor for deaths globally, and harmful use of alcohol was responsible for almost 4% of all deaths in the world, according to the estimates for 2004.
In addition to the resolution, a global strategy developed by WHO in close collaboration with Member States provides a portfolio of policy options and interventions for implementation at national level with the goal to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide. The resolution endorses the strategy and urges countries to complement and support national responses to public health problems caused by the harmful use of alcohol.

Ten target areas
Ten recommended target areas for policy options include health services' responses, community action, pricing policies and reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol. WHO was also requested to support countries in implementing the strategy and monitor progress at global, regional and national levels.
Harmful drinking is also a major avoidable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases, cirrhosis of the liver and various cancers. It is also associated with various infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB, as well as road traffic accidents, violence and suicides.

Implementation
Successful implementation of the strategy will require concerted action by countries, effective global governance and appropriate engagement of all relevant stakeholders. To this end, WHO will also encourage that the strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol are included as an integral part of work on global development and in related investment decisions.

For more information:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/alcohol_20100521/en/index.html

Drinking and driving ban (24th June 2010)

Stefanos Koukoulas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:28:28 GMT

This news item refers to legislation passed in Ireland on 23rd June to reduce the drink-driving limit. Under The Road Traffic Bill 2009, drivers caught with blood alcohol levels between the new lower alcohol limits and the existing one – between 50mg and 80mg - face a €200 fine and three penalty points rather than a driving ban. Mandatory alcohol tests will now be in place following a road crash, but only where someone is injured. Britain and Northern Ireland are the only other jurisdictions with an 80mg limit. A new lower limit of 50mg is planned for the UK.

Drug and alcohol misuse a significant cause of lost productivity (17 September 2007)

Stefanos Koukoulas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:27:00 GMT

Research carried out by CIPD and People Management magazine suggests that four out of ten employers believe alcohol misuse is a significant cause of employee absence and lost productivity and one third of organisations report that drug misuse has a similarly negative effect in the workplace. Only 33% of employers train managers in how to manage drug and alcohol misuse at work and just 22% train employees generally in organisational procedures in tackling these issues.

The investigation revealed that 42 per cent of the 500 organisations surveyed have no policy in place to help them manage drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace. Findings also indicate that employers could provide more support for employees with substance dependency problems; only 38 per cent of employers reported providing co-ordinated rehabilitation support to help individuals with drug or alcohol problems return to work after treatment. Additionally, only a half of employers provide access to counselling or to occupational health services.