Internet addiction problems at work are growing in Finland — YLE News
In Finland, Mervi Malin-Santos, an addiction treatment specialist at Mehiläinen, reports a growing problem of internet addictions that can reduce employee productivity and take up working time. People most often seek her help for gambling addiction, while she named excessive pornography consumption as the second most common problem.
As YLE News reports, Malin-Santos sees a new client with a gambling addiction problem about once a week. Cases of excessive pornography viewing occur in her practice monthly. According to her, such addictions are still a small but growing problem because they are often not recognized either in the workplace or in occupational health services, and people seek help only when they face serious difficulties.
The issue is not raised in companies
YLE News surveyed the engineering company Metso, the city of Tampere and the Finnish Customs service. All of them said that the issue of internet addictions had not been raised in their organizations. Suomen Yrittäjät, the Finnish organization of entrepreneurs, has also received no inquiries from small and medium-sized companies about such problems.
Malin-Santos noted that her clients are men of different ages and professions. According to her, none of them was referred by an employer: people sought help on their own or after advice from a partner. Possible gambling addiction among employees of security authorities and other civil servants may be detected during regular security checks, including through the loss of a credit rating.
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Access blocking can be bypassed
According to Malin-Santos’s estimate, there is no exact number of people with internet addiction or risky behavior, but their share may amount to about 10% of the population. She explained that addiction is involved when behavior begins to harm other areas of life.
Restrictions on access to gambling websites on phones and laptops can be bypassed, while closing gambling accounts does not prevent the creation of new ones. Even if an employer installs blocking on a work phone, an employee can use a personal device. In Malin-Santos’s view, such restrictions are only an obstacle, not a solution to the problem.
In July, Mehiläinen launched a pilot online group for people with gambling addiction. Between four and six people take part in the meetings, and the group is led by two addiction treatment specialists. According to Malin-Santos, communicating with people who have similar experiences helps reduce feelings of stigma and shame, although recovery takes time and relapses are common.
