Organisations often have a confusing attitude towards alcohol and their employees.
On one hand, most employees are expected to socialise with colleagues, customers and clients, particularly as they climb up the career ladder where they may be expected to win business and build relationships at social events where alcohol is usually front and centre.
An investigation by think tank Demos into the drinking culture among Britain’s youth found that peer pressure from colleagues to drink was an issue for a quarter of those surveyed. Additionally, for occupations such as law and finance drinking is viewed as a powerful social currency, helping with achieving business objectives through networking, and even potentially leading to better promotion prospects
Leaving a work event early or refusing an alcoholic drink is often frowned upon, and being last to leave and then showing up for work the next day slightly worse for wear, has often been seen as a ‘badge of honour’ with an underlying understanding that this behaviour proved your team loyalty and you were ‘one of the boys’.
After working with me for a couple of months and then taking a break from alcohol, one of my clients described the following situation: “On day 25 (of being alcohol-free) I went out on a works do to a wine bar, all the wine was poured in glasses in front of me, that was a challenge because I was with people I didn’t know; I could smell the wine but because I had the tools to work through it, I was the only one not drinking.”
But at the same time, in our culture, it is a huge taboo to admit to having a drinking problem, and most people would be extremely reluctant to admit this to their employers. Our culture associates ‘social drinking’ as normal and expected, but ‘problem drinkers’ as weak-willed and lacking self-control. Not exactly attributes you would want to be associated with at work.
Alcohol consumption is growing among middle-aged professionals, with work-related stress a contributory factor.
The Institute of Alcohol Studies notes that the proportion of workers drinking excessively is highest in managerial and professional occupations, where about a third of staff report heavy drinking.
What can employers do?
First, employers need to change the drinking culture and acknowledge that alcohol is essentially a highly addictive drug.
To do this, I recommend senior leaders in the organisation and HR undergo training to firstly understand the addictive nature of alcohol and secondly, that there is a wide spectrum of people drinking more than they want, from severe alcohol dependency through to very high functioning daily drinkers who use alcohol to de-stress, weekend binge drinkers, and variations in between. The training should dispel the stereotype of alcoholics, and create awareness that many people struggling with alcohol are high-functioning professionals.
Through training and education, employers can then create a work culture where no one has, or is expected to, consume alcohol. This will create the following benefits:
- An inclusive environment for non-drinkers
- An opportunity for all employees to choose not to drink alcohol at any work occasion without fear of it harming their career
- Increased productivity
- An environment that allows employers to help employees with a drinking problem.
Tips and advice for employers dealing with staff with addictions.
To be able to help employees struggling with alcohol, it is necessary to create a work culture where they are no longer expected to drink to fit in.
Once that is achieved, how do employers deal with staff who are struggling with alcohol?
First, create clear guidance on what is not tolerated in terms of being under the influence of alcohol during working hours.
Second, in terms of employees’ overall well-being, if an employee is dealing with a difficult life situation, such as a bereavement or chronic illness, a robust support system can help employees’ mental well-being and reduce the desire to numb out with alcohol.
Third, look for inconsistencies in performance.
In my experience as an ex-binge drinker, I noticed that when I had drank excessively the night before the following day, I would struggle with decision-making, my focus was not great, my energy levels were low and I would try to put off anything deemed too taxing until I felt ‘normal again’.
The most common impacts that people experience in terms of their work performance are lower confidence, motivation, enthusiasm, lack of clarity, and lower productivity. High performers who are regularly drinking excessively become skilled at ‘pushing through’ and making sure everything gets done, but they are not performing at a level they are capable of, and the pressure to maintain the performance required increases the dependency on alcohol to de-stress or as a reward each night.
When someone is regularly drinking excessively, it will affect their cognitive functions such as decision-making and clarity. An employee whose performance is inconsistent may be struggling with alcohol.
In this scenario, my guidance is to tread carefully. Having a process in place to offer support can work well if the employee feels the organisation genuinely cares about their well-being. The support needs to be confidential and judgement free. I would encourage language such as ‘not being in control over alcohol’ or ‘over drinking’ rather than ‘addict’ or ‘alcoholic’. These are terms which have very negative connotations and are no longer used by the medical profession.
Heavy drinking is a growing problem among middle-aged professionals in the UK. With the right understanding and approach, employers could make a real difference in helping staff gain control over alcohol and create a more productive* and supportive working environment as a result.
*Lost productivity due to alcohol use costs the UK economy more than £7 billion each year (Alcohol Change UK).
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