Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JUNE 2018 NEWS 15 Assessing the risks of alcohol consumption in creating mental health strategies Total Health Index shows impact on workforce health, engagement and productivity BY BILL HOWATT WHAT prevents people from coming to work every day and performing their assigned func- tions to their full potential? Pos- sible causes include a poor job fit, culture, management ineffec- tiveness, a psychologically unsafe workplace and lack of organiza- tional pride. Senior leaders focused on pro- ductivity and the profit-and-loss statement may be more cynical about the above causes and suggest the solution is to hire the right peo- ple. While important, that alone will not guarantee productivity. Understanding why employees can or cannot be fully engaged and productive requires a new lens called "total health." Total health is the sum of an employ- ee's physical and mental health, workplace experience and life that includes finances, work-life blending and relationships. Most CEOs would agree that mental health can impact em- ployees' ability to work to their full potential. One-fifth of the work- force on any day is struggling with a mental health issue, according to the Canadian Mental Health As- sociation. On top of this, more than one in four workers say they are highly stressed, according to Statistics Canada. If people don't learn to cope with stress, over time, it can in- crease their risk for a mental health issue, including addictions. Understanding alcohol consumption So, what behaviours do people under stress engage in to cope and to feel better? One favourite involves food. Many people en- gage in snacking as an attempt to distract themselves from their stressors and to feel better. Another common behaviour is alcohol consumption. Degrees of consumption include: social, regu- lar (a few drinks a week) and heavy, meaning males who have at least 15 drinks per week and females who have at least 10 (at increased risk for liver disease, cancer and substance dependency issues). About 19 per cent of the Cana- dian population report as heavy alcohol users, according to 2017 stats from Statistics Canada. After completing my postdoc- toral studies in behavioural sci- ence and a book series on addic- tions with John Wiley & Sons, the one thing that sticks in my head is that most people with alcohol abuse and dependency issues are not on skid row — they go to work each day. One challenge with alcohol consumption is it's socially ac- cepted, and often part of social and recreational activities. Many consumption levels match the so- cial group they engage with. One frightening statistic found in our total health research is that 11 per cent of employees have driven a motor vehicle while under the in- fluence of alcohol in the past year. e lowest risk for all causes of mortality due to alcohol is when a person does not exceed five to six drinks a week, according to a 2018 analysis of the risk thresh- olds for alcohol consumption in the Lancet, reviewing 83 prospec- tive studies. e Total Health Index (THI) asks two questions: What is your typical number of drinks per week? On the days you drink, how many drinks do you consume? Based on our database of tens of thousands of files that repre- sent the Canadian workforce, the following table suggests the to- tal health profiles of people who don't drink and those who have one drink per day are the same. Number of drinks in one sitting Total Health Index score "I don't drink" 71% One drink 71% Two drinks 69% Three drinks 68% Four drinks 66% Five drinks 65% The THI findings align with the Lancet study, suggesting that drinking less is better for your health. With more drinks, the THI index score declined. A free, confidential online tool that employees can use to screen their risk for alcohol and other addictive disorders is an Addic- tive Disorders Screen (ADS-10) at www.howatthronline.com/quick- surveys/adsintro.a5w. Employees whose profile is at risk are encour- aged to seek professional support to discuss their risk profile. e following chart outlines an overall alcohol consumption risk profile: HEALTH ENGAGEMENT PRODUCTIVITY Drinks per week risk profile Average Total Heath Index Average number of chronic health issues Average health costs per full-time worker Average manage work demand score Average safety score Average discre- tionary effort score Average number of days coming to work feeling unwell No/low: Fewer than five 71% 0.9 $1,615 67% 74% 90% 17.7 Moderate: Six to 13 68% 1.1 $2,361 64% 72% 87% 30 High: 14 or more 65% 1.4 $4,611 62% 69% 85% 41 How HR can help When creating mental health strategies, HR leaders often ne- glect to consider substance abuse or dependency — and the con- nections to people with mental health issues. Educating employees on the risk factors, signs and symptoms, and setting safe guidelines, are important considerations when designing mental awareness com- munications and campaigns. When developing a mental health strategy, HR leaders are advised to also talk about addic- tive disorders risk. Human resources leaders can play a role in curbing risk by as- sisting employees to become self-aware, take accountability for their health and make healthier decisions. e Total Health Index pro- vides evidence of the value of educating employees on the di- rect relationship between alcohol consumption and total health. It's about influencing employ- ees to make better micro deci- sions on alcohol consumption. The index can help educate employees on their degree of risk, as well informing employers on how much impact alcohol consumption is impacting workforce health, engagement and productivity. Bill Howatt, Ph.D. Ed.D., is the chief of research and development, workforce productivity, at Morneau Shepell in Toronto. For more information about the Total Health Index, visit www.morneaushepell.com. Morneau Shepell is the largest employee and family assistance program (EFAP) provider in Canada, helping millions of people worldwide live healthy, happy and productive lives. We help your employees and their family members get on the path to health and well-being quickly, confi dentially and conveniently. Our network of counsellors and experts are available to provide support in a variety of ways, including video counselling, First Chat, and an award- winning app – My•EAP. Professional counselling is available for everything from family, fi nances and career to health, nutrition and fi tness. Let us help. Discover how our unique approach can improve your workforce engagement and productivity. Supporting your employees to better manage their work, health and life morneaushepell.com 1.800.461.9722 JOINT VENTURE BY: 12-PART SERIES This is the fifth of a 12-part series on total health that will explore the links between employees' health, engagement and productivity: 1. The total health framework 2. The 4 pillars of the Total Health Index 3. Senior leadership 4. Resiliency 5. Alcohol consumption 6. A respectful workplace 7. Manager effectiveness 8. Financial health 9. Going beyond traditional engagement 10. Productivity 11. Mental health 12. Physical activity, nutrition, sleep

• Cover