More than a third of employers think that alcohol drunk by staff outside working hours is something they should be interested in.
This was among the findings of a new survey released by Liverpool-based organisation Health @ Work. More than 300 businesses were asked what they thought about alcohol both inside and outside the workplace as well the effect it had on their employees and their business. Other findings included:
• More than a third (34%) of employers think alcohol affects their business and 87% of those believe the effect is negative.
• Of the third of employers who think they should be interested in alcohol drunk by staff outside working hours, 100% thought it worsened their business.
• Just over two thirds of businesses questioned had an alcohol policy, but a quarter of participants either wanted to implement or revamp their strategies.
• Larger, more established companies, often in the health sector, are more likely to have an alcohol policy and those in the leisure and hospitality sector are less likely.
• Over half of employers (56%) think that alcohol contributes to sick leave amongst their employees at least occasionally.
• Common rules within alcohol policies include not being drunk while at work or while entertaining, and no drinking alcohol two hours before work.
Keith Gorman from Health @ Work said: "Liverpool PCT has provided substantial support for smokers using the workplace as a support setting over the past years. By commissioning Health@Work, as part of the Liverpool alcohol strategy group, we are jointly looking to promote sensible alcohol consumption using a similar model. As alcohol consumption levels continue to increase we aim to support employers to positively deal with workplace problems while our wide programme of work will make a real impact with employees."
Director of Public Health for Liverpool, Dr Paula Grey, said: "Looking at these survey results, awareness needs to be raised about existing alcohol policies and support structures within organizations. It highlights the importance of revisiting strategies regularly to make sure they are still appropriate and sufficient."
The survey was carried out by Michela Morleo from the Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University. Michela said: "Large numbers of employers are negatively affected by alcohol use amongst their employees both inside and outside of work. This impacts on workplaces in a variety of different ways including sickness, productivity and errors made whilst at work. It is important to support those workplaces most at risk of alcohol-related harm and to work to together to try to tackle these issues."
