This year, Alcohol Awareness Week is 7-13 July and the theme is alcohol and work. As part of the week, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) is calling for a national conversation on alcohol and the workplace.
From headaches, hangovers and sleepless nights to lower productivity and symptoms like anxiety and depression worsening over time, alcohol affects us in many ways. With longer hours, more stress, the blurring of lines between work and home, and workplace cultures that place alcohol rather than people at the centre of things, there are many ways work and alcohol are linked. Work stresses can also lead to people using alcohol to cope, which can worsen symptoms.
It’s also the case that the heaviest drinkers, and thus those with the greatest likelihood of experiencing alcohol problems, tend to be concentrated in those of working age. Official statistics show that employed people are more likely to drink heavily than unemployed people, and that the proportion of workers drinking excessively is highest in managerial and professional occupations, where about a third of staff (36% in 2017) report heavy drinking. This damages their health and can tragically lead to unavoidable deaths and also represents a real challenge for the job market and economy. The cost of workplace hangovers to the UK economy has been calculated at £1.2bn to £1.4bn a year.
Alcohol Awareness Week offers an opportunity to have conversations about how to make workplaces healthier, and less focused on alcohol, which can lead to better physical and mental wellbeing, greater confidence and productivity, and improved employee motivation and safety.
SHAAP has produced advice for heavy drinkers who are thinking about cutting back or stopping drinking alcohol which can be accessed by any employer.
Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, Chair of SHAAP, commented:
“Alcohol can often be present at work-related events such as socials, networking and conferences and fears about peer pressure, performance and fitting in can make people feel like they have no choice but to drink. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that no one feels pressured to drink alcohol and having robust alcohol policies for every workplace is essential. This Alcohol Awareness Week, SHAAP is encouraging employers to look at their own practices and consider whether alcohol is being prioritised over health and wellbeing.
“We also need a national conversation about the role alcohol plays in the workplace. The evidence is clear that it negatively affects productivity and leads to lost working hours, while causing serious health problems among working age people. It can also lower inhibitions, causing people to behave inappropriately, which can lead to stress, anxiety and even the loss of employment.
“Despite these known harms, drinking has become normalised at work events. It’s time to challenge this and ask the question: should an intoxicating, health-harming substance like alcohol really be a part of work?”