Personnel Today

Dealing with Problem drinking at work

Our expert:
Alan Williams B.Sc (Hons) M.P.H. is head of research for Alcohol Risk Factor Ltd. He has a masters in public health specialising in epidemiology and his career has included being a member of the police service, a health & safety inspector and a public health professional. For more information: www.alcoholriskfactor.com

The effects of drinking alcohol can encroach into working hours. Employees have an individual responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves and others who could be affected by their actions in the workplace. It’s easy to consume 3 units of alcohol in one drink, particularly with wine. On average it takes about one hour to process one unit of alcohol, therefore, units are equal to hours. Having consumed a 250ml glass of 12% ABV (alcohol by volume) wine, the time taken to remove the alcohol from the blood stream is 3 hours. Time is the crucial factor that determines how long alcohol remains in the system.
To some, four glasses of wine would not be considered excessive, particularly one at lunch time and three glasses in the evening. However, at 15% ABV, four 250ml glasses of wine contain a staggering 15 units. With units equal to hours, alcohol would not be removed from the blood stream for 15 hours. When compared to the sensible drinking guidelines, this would be considered excessive. An additional factor with alcohol consumption is tolerance. In general, tolerance increases with consumption. Therefore, more alcohol is required to feel the same effects.
Whenever alcohol is consumed, time isalways the crucial factor. Would a positive breathalyser test on the school run convince a drinker? The minimum ban for a drink drive offence is twelve months. Nothing can reduce your BAC (blood/breath alcohol content), only time. Women unfortunately get the rough end of the deal. Their bodies do not absorb alcohol as quickly and comparatively a woman would show a higher reading on a BAC test having consumed the same amount of alcohol as a man.
Alcohol consumption has a very real effect on employee performance. Some will be affected rarely, some will be affected regularly, and some will be affected daily. With 60% of the population not aware of the unit system and sensible drinking guidelines (NHS Information Centre), individuals are at the mercy of the drinks industry’s well funded marketing campaigns. Employers need to take greater responsibility for raising employee awareness of the risks and concerns related to alcohol from excessive consumption.

Identifying problem drinkers
Employees who compromise safety as a result of alcohol consumption would be considered problem drinkers. 20 – 25% of accidents are alcohol related (World Health Organisation). Company drivers would probably benefit from drink drive avoidance courses. 1 in 6 drink drivers are convicted the morning after. High stress environments would benefit from greater alcohol awareness. 34% men, 27% women use alcohol to cope with stress. (Developing Patient Partnerships) Safety critical industries use alcohol and drug testing.
Safety is not the only concern. Health and performance are more difficult to quantify. If alcohol is in the bloodstream during work hours, performance can be affected. Also, if an employee drinks beyond the sensible drinking guidelines, their health risks increase.
For employers there are two types of problem drinker. Firstly, those who have a clearly identified drink problem, and are in need of intervention or treatment. Secondly, the so called “social drinkers” who cause problems at work as a result of their drinking. The second audience is more widely spread and difficult to identify. It may be small, consistent problems that are difficult to monitor or a major incident that is clearly a one off.
“Surprisingly, light to moderate drinkers who occasionally drink at high levels, are collectively responsible, due to their greater numbers, for the largest share of alcohol’s burden on society than are those addicted, dependent or alcoholic” (WHO Global Status Report Dec.04).
How would you normally entrust someone to complete a task? Providing relevant training, information and instruction are pre requisites.

Dealing with problem drinkers
Advice stipulates you should treat alcohol related problems as a health issues first and only use disciplinary measures as a last resort or when safety is compromised. However, should this extend to hangovers and attendance issues? One in four drinks to excess (British Broadcasting Corporation) contributing to 20M working days lost per year (Strategy Unit Interim Report) The real truth is that the employee is probably unaware of how much alcohol they really consume and to what extent it affects them. With the provision of improved awareness, employees would be better equipped to make informed decisions about their consumption and change their drinking style before employer intervention becomes necessary.
Three steps are suggested for dealing with employees who are underperforming due to excessive alcohol consumption.

1. Where intervention becomes necessary, proceed as a health issue, clearly setting out a program that is agreed upon by both management and the employee.
2. Where treatment becomes necessary, proceed as a health issue, clearly setting out a program that is agreed upon by both management and the employee.
3. Alcohol related incidents that introduce risk of significant harm to the individual or others should be dealt with under the company’s disciplinary procedures.

Being Proactive
How many employees unknowingly cause problems because of their alcohol consumption? The benefits of prevention include improving performance, improving health and increasing safety.
Every employer should have a written alcohol policy that is endorsed by senior directors. The written policy should be provided to each individual via their company handbook or separate document. It is advised that companies require employees to sign forms indicating that they have read and understand the policy when they are employed or when the policy was implemented. The information needs to be clear and defined in simple terms, clearly stating what the repercussions would be if not adhered to.
Lunch time drinking, the relationship between alcohol and stress, absenteeism and poor performance can all have a negative effect on the employer and employee relationship. Your company has the right to address these issues. They will be easier to improve by empowering your employees to make informed choices about their levels of consumption rather than enforcing hard line policies.
Ongoing alcohol awareness campaigns using social marketing techniques can support your alcohol policy in a non threatening manner.

Next steps
“Thinking laterally will provide solutions. If a machine presented a safety risk, steps would be taken to improve its safety. The machine may still be operated as alcohol may still be consumed; the issue is how to make it safer for all involved.” Bob Rawlinson, Chief Executive, The Edward DeBono Foundation UK.

Dr Edward DeBono has said “Sometimes the situation is only a problem because it is looked at in a certain way. Looked at in another way, the right course of action may be so obvious that the problem no longer exists.”

A company’s positive safety culture must embrace the precept of Prevention before Intervention before Treatment, endorsed at the highest management level. Many companies are already satisfying the HSE guidelines for a model alcohol policy. Less common are companies proactively preventing alcohol problems. If companies only have mechanisms for intervention and treatment, problems are unlikely to be reduced as problems would have already occurred.
Social marketing is the primary method that has been proven to be effective in preventative health campaigns. Anti-smoking campaigns use it, drink drive campaigns use it. Drink drive costs lives, so does drink. There are both tailor made solutions and off the shelf solutions available from a limited number of providers. (see useful contacts)
What is clear is that alcohol is an ill-health issue, and very difficult for employers to tackle on an individual basis. Motivate and encourage staff participation at all levels in being “responsible” with regard to alcohol and healthy living, rather than expecting untrained managers to cope with issues as and when they invariably arise.

For more information on primary prevention and alcohol awareness,
www.alcoholriskfactor.com