Traditionally, workplaces in FINLAND have offered help for alcohol problems at the point where the problem is visible and needs to be addressed. Treatment options have included referral to occupational health and possibly disconnection or institutional care.
At the same time, there are a large number of people in the workplace who have become addicted to alcohol, but the problem is not yet visible to the outside world. Few of them dare to go to the occupational health department to tell you until they have to. So the problem is allowed to get worse for a long time before the employer sees it and has to intervene.
NOW is the time for change. In June, a law came into force obliging employers to take preventive measures. Employers have also woken up to this when it comes to alcohol problems.
The FIRST employer customers will start using Soberist’s workplace cycling service already in spring 2023.
Soberist founder Ira Koivu’s calendar has been so full of presentations to employer clients that he finally had to outsource the work to a partner.
Holistic wellbeing service
The new service has been enthusiastically received. The Soberist service is a holistic wellbeing service that results in employees sleeping better, finding wellbeing-friendly ways to relieve and prevent stress and overload, being more creative and also creating a positive atmosphere in the workplace. Absenteeism will be reduced as there will be no rookie days on Mondays.
– So far, there has not been a sufficiently low-threshold service in Finland for the problem of alcohol, says Ira Koivu, CEO of Soberist.
Low threshold here means that a person whose problem is not visible to the outside world and who is getting things done can get help without labelling or stigma.
When Ira Koivu woke up to his alcohol problem, he was doing sports, doing his job well and eating healthily. And drank a bottle of wine every night.
– I didn’t even think of going to the occupational health centre, because then my papers would be marked as alcohol-related and I would have been stamped with the alcoholic stamp on my forehead.
Olisin itse aikanaan tarvinnut Soberistin palvelua, Ira Koivu sanoo.
A workforce service that is easy to deploy
KOIVU developed a method for self-directed high functioning alcoholics like themselves, based on their own experiences, best practices in change management and researched data. The service was developed and piloted in autumn 2020, and launched for consumers in 2021. Today, the service has helped hundreds of Finns to get sober.
At the beginning of this year, Koivu and his partners founded Soberisti Oy, which launched a job-readiness service for companies in the spring. It is an extremely low-threshold service: workers can get help in a truly anonymous way, without stigma at work, let alone anywhere else.
Soberist’s Work Cycle Service is easy to implement the same day as the contract is signed.
The core of the SERVICE consists of an online course with exercises, expert lectures, a support community and remote peer support meetings. In addition, every morning you will receive an email encouraging you to do your best, but also letting you know what to expect. For example, early fatigue or a sweet tooth could otherwise come as a surprise and stall good progress. Messages of encouragement and peer support help to get through the difficult moments.
There are around 600 000 heavy drinkers in FINLAND , the majority of whom are in working life. Only a small proportion are in a situation where alcohol has already taken their job.
Elina Talvio
25.9.2023
