Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Digital distractions and behavioural addictions: Equality Act disability, reasonable adjustments, health and safety, and misconduct/performance management in Great Britain

Published on: 24 July 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Employment expert

Legal News

Article summary

Although dependency on substances has for many years been acknowledged as a workplace issue needing careful management, the rapid advance of digital technology has pushed newer forms of dependency into the spotlight. According to a recent BUPA survey, more than half of UK workers have grappled with some kind of addiction. Behavioural addictions cover a broad span of compulsive behaviours, including the excessive use of digital technologies. Reports indicate that roughly one in eight adults in the UK is affected by a behavioural addiction. Examples can include gambling, gaming, heavy internet use, social media, pornography consumption, online shopping, or compulsive cryptocurrency trading. A notable by-product of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns was a rise in these digital forms of addiction. Employers can find it hard to tackle the effect such addictions have on performance at work, particularly where roles include an element of remote working. In this context, we consider how employers can support and manage employees living with behavioural addiction, as well as digital distractions more generally.

How can behavioural addiction impact employees at work?

A particular difficulty with behavioural addictions is how easy it is to access the addictive content at virtually any time...

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