With the post-pandemic return to working in-person, employees have also seen a
return to in-office drinking, post-work happy hours, company parties, and retreats fueled by plenty of free booze. Some businesses have even started incentivizing applicants by marketing work-based drinking as a perk for the company. While employees may or may not consider office drinking-culture to be a benefit of moving back towards in-office work; there are plenty of reasons a company should avoid using this draw for potential candidates. Apart from minor problems such as excluding people who don’t, or can’t drink for any number of reasons, a company is also opened up to a laundry list of potential liabilities when drinking is invited in and inhibitions are lowered.
While alcohol is a legal substance, and the most commonly used drug in the world, it flies under the radar as one of the most dangerous and damaging drugs. Despite its hazardous nature, alcohol has still become a daily reality of workplace culture, both during and after hours. The CDC estimates that 1 in 6 adults partake in binge drinking, which they define as consuming more than 4-5 drinks in a single occasion, and that more than 6% of adults in the US have an alcohol use disorder (CDC.gov). Hosting work functions where alcohol is present and anticipated, can feed into binge drinking behavior with your business assuming liability. Even after the party is over, with so many American adults drinking, and in many cases, over drinking, the number of alcohol related deaths, annually, is staggering. Excessive alcohol use tops the charts for preventable causes of death in the US year after year, and once you add in the additional 32 deaths per day from drunk-driving related crashes, a clear picture emerges of how prevalent alcohol related liability has become (CDC.gov). While these problems are pervasive and the only way to truly avoid them is to abstain, there are ways a business can mitigate their prevalence where alcohol is involved. Enforcing drink maximums during events where alcohol is present, and ensuring all staff have transportation after an event are both key tactics to making sure everyone gets home safe.
While a large portion of American adults drink, there is still a sizable fraction who don’t partake for any number of reasons such as religious beliefs, health factors, home responsibilities, or even histories of substance misuse. While most offices that offer alcohol-centric social events would say that drinking is never expected, but available to those who want; non-drinkers still tend to feel disproportionately pressured to participate, especially at work-sponsored functions. Though peer-pressure cannot force someone to drink, a 2019 study found that a large number of employees felt obligated to participate in drinking when a supervisor or manager initiated (Sagvaag, et al. 2019). Businesses should be aware of, and work to mitigate, this perceived or real pressure on employees to drink at work functions.
Alcohol is a powerful drug that can lead people to do things they wouldn't otherwise do. These lowered inhibitions can cause all sorts of liability for a business. At least half of all acquaintance-based sexual assault involves alcohol consumption by one party or the other, but most commonly both. Apart from such serious liability issues, alcohol can also cause productivity issues even when not consumed during the work day. While most people are familiar with the common symptoms of a hangover, and even more familiar with how those symptoms can affect a work day's productivity; there are also less prevalent and less apparent features of hangovers that can carry over into your work day. Anxiety is one of the more overlooked manifestations of a hangover that can have lasting effects on a work day, worsening work output and adding unmanageable stress to an employee's day. From large scale liabilities to smaller work hindrances alcohol can leave a lasting impact on how employees conduct business.
Having alcohol available during work place events has become commonplace. While employees aren’t forced to drink, and a large quantity don't want to partake, many feel external pressures compelling them to do so. When employees do drink during company events it can lead to added liability for the company and feed in to over-drinking issues, which are so prevalent in our society. Management might find just leaving the booze behind to be the safer, easier, and all around more professional option when considering the next workplace gathering.
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