Pills to perform at work

The number of Quebecers who use medications to perform better at work is increasing, observe researchers and human resources specialists. How should employers deal with this phenomenon?

“When companies consult us for work climate issues or organizational diagnoses, this is often where people tell us that they are taking medications that have not been prescribed to them,” relates Julie Carignan, managing partner, expertise and innovation at Humance.

The companies where this organizational psychologist and certified human resources advisor (CRHA) observes this taking of illicit non-prescribed medications all have one thing in common: they impose an unsustainable pace of work and encourage performance at all costs, she analyzes .

“Often, taking medication is a symptom. There are organizations where the more you work, the more you get paid, the more recognition you get or the higher the commission,” she maintains.

As an expert in the field, Julie Carignan is participating this Thursday in the discussion panel “Cognitive doping, a quest for performance at all costs? » organized by the Order of CRHA. The Order would like to learn more about this reality to be able to position itself on this issue.

“On employee discussion forums, there are some who will even give dosage advice; for example, to use so many milligrams of such a substance,” observes researcher Nicolas Le Dévédec, associate professor in the management department at HEC Montréal.

“What’s extremely confusing is that it’s very normalized,” he says.

The use of drugs to increase performance in the workplace of finance, professional music and cooking has been studied for several years by Nicolas Le Dévédec and his colleague Johanne Collin, full professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Montreal, which will also bring its expertise to the panel this Thursday.

“We see that there really are medications adapted to the performance criteria of each profession,” observes Nicolas Le Dévédec. This can be Ritalin to improve concentration, propranolol to calm stress or a microdose of psilocybin to increase efficiency and unleash creativity, cites the Order.

- host and harpsichordist Catherine Perrin has already revealed in The Press that she had taken beta blockers, propranolol, during concerts to control the trembling of her limbs due to stress¹.

The investigation team of The Press documented the phenomenon among students who use the drugs to perform in college².

The Order also cites an English study revealing that on average 14% of the 30,000 people surveyed in 15 countries, including Canada, admit to having used a pharmacological stimulant at least once in 2017.

The other side of the magic pill

The idea of ​​suddenly being smarter, more focused and more creative at work is appealing. Who hasn’t already resorted to an extra coffee or Red Bull to finish a file? However, taking medication is never without risk.

Well documented, the side effects of medications used for ADHD (Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, Concerta) are varied: decreased appetite, headaches, stomach aches, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, heart rate increased. The list is also long for beta blockers like propranolol used by professional musicians in search of perfect performance: erectile dysfunction, stomach aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, significant slowing of the heart, insomnia, nightmares.

But beyond the side effects, this normalization of cognitive doping in the office raises a deeper question, experts argue. Why does a worker want to be more productive at all costs? To improve your self-esteem? To feel better than your colleagues? To meet the demands of your employer? So that the company produces even more?

According to Nicolas Le Dévédec, who is also the author of the books Transhumanism published by Que sais-je? And The myth of the augmented human at Écosociété Editions, we must question the entire model behind this idea of ​​always adapting as a worker to the detriment of questioning the organization of work and our model of society.

“There is a parallel with the productivist logic of our model of capitalist society, based on a permanent acceleration of production and the rhythms of daily life. »

Does Quebec want this type of society where everyone must be doped in order to ensure the growth of the province and Canada?

Technology has allowed us not to relax more, but to increase the pace, emphasizes Julie Carignan. Same thing with artificial intelligence, she observes.

“In a context where the pressure to perform is ever higher, it is the moment to take stock by saying: OK, this is more and more informally normalized, we all have an organizational responsibility, what what can we do? »

1. Read the column “Doping accepted in classical music? »

2. Read the article “Adults Seek Ritalin”