HR Innovation Show Your company probably isn’t much like Sterling Cooper, the advertising agency from Mad Men. However, in 2018 you should have something Sterling Cooper didn’t: a clear policy about drinking alcohol at work. Sure, the days of the three-martini lunch are largely gone, but if you celebrate happy hour or have the occasional special event — and who doesn’t? — you’ll need to be clear about what is acceptable alcohol consumption. And with the holiday party season almost upon us, now is a good time to consider some options. Yes, there are benefitsObviously not every industry can allow alcohol at work. (Drivers, medical personnel, and operators of heavy machinery should wait until they’re off the clock for a beer or glass of wine.) But if your company comprises a team of young creative professionals, for example, the benefits could be substantial. By allowing alcohol at work, employers show employees that they trust them to consume responsibly. And a trusted employee is a happier and more productive employee. Many employers also report greater bonding experiences over a celebratory beer or glass of wine. If your industry is one that has to compete for top talent, you’ll likely find that on-premise alcohol is seen not just as a perk, but an expectation. Yes, there are also risksThe risks associated with alcohol use are pretty clear. By sanctioning alcohol consumption, you may open yourself to liability for alcohol-related incidents, like car accidents or bones broken on company softball night. Or it might compromise the sobriety of an employee who is a recovering alcoholic. It would exclude employees who don’t use alcohol. Research also suggests there’s a greater risk of sexual harassment in a workplace with heavy drinking. (Related: California requires companies to have a written sexual harassment policy. More on that in a future blog.) Just be smartLet’s be honest. If you ask a lawyer if your company should allow alcohol at work, they’re going to say, “No, absolutely not.” But talk a little longer, maybe get someone from HR involved, and you may decide that a thoughtfully written policy allowing alcohol use at work is the best course. While most US companies already have a written drug and alcohol policy, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to writing your own. Depending on the industry, you might find that a policy allowing drinking after 5 p.m. is sufficient. You may only need a policy for holiday parties. Besides the written policy, just follow common sense. Stick with beer and wine. Provide transportation and plenty of food. Most important, remember that management sets the culture. In this and all workplace behaviors, set a good example.
Work habits have changed during the pandemic, but that doesn’t make drinking on the job okay.
You log on for work each morning without first taking a shower or even putting on pants. That has become a norm for many people working from home during the pandemic. But just as the shift to working from home has changed how people prepare for work, so too has it changed what some employees do as they work. One of the more notable changes has been the increase in employees drinking during work hours. You wouldn’t open a beer at your desk or come back from lunch after having a few glasses of wine when working in an office. But now that you’re working from home, you may not have anyone around to notice if you have a drink or two on occasion, or even every day. According to a variety of independent surveys, it’s apparently common for people to drink while working from home. One survey found that 9 out of 10 people responding admitted drinking alcohol while working from home, while 8 in 10 said they drank at least twice a week during work hours. Another reported about a third of people working from home during the pandemic were drinking on the job. Still another survey found that 45% of respondents admitted to drinking alcohol during work hours and a similar percentage said they clocked out early to have a drink. Although the statistics vary from survey to survey, the results are clear. The freedoms of working from home have made it possible for workers to do things they wouldn’t do in the office. There’s no one to answer to, and in many cases, no one even knows that it’s happening. Having an occasional drink during work hours may not impact your productivity, but getting into the habit of drinking while working does more than just violate company policy. It can lead to alcohol abuse. The more often you drink alcohol and the more you consume, the more you come to rely on it as a way to de-stress or relax. As your body becomes more tolerant of alcohol, it causes you to need more to feel the same effects. There’s no doubt that working from home during the pandemic has come with its own set of stressors—it’s not all fun and games. But turning to alcohol as a way to cope can be dangerous. It can set you up for health issues and can impact your work, putting your job at risk. It can even lead to alcoholism. So the next time you’re tempted to crack open a beer in your home office or pour some whisky into your coffee mug, think about whether you would do the same if you were still working in an office. If the answer is “no” (which it mostly likely will be), skip the drink while working and save it for happy hour.
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Everyone in the workplace has WHS duties under the model WHS Act. You have specific duties if you are:
All workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and not adversely affect the safety of others. As a PCBU, you must manage health and safety risks. This might include setting specific policies for the use of drugs and alcohol. As a PCBU, you must, so far as is reasonably practicable:
Workers must:
Drug and alcohol limitsThere’s a legal blood alcohol level in some jobs, including road and rail transport, maritime and mining occupations. The law may prohibit a worker from being affected by any drugs – legal or illegal. Drug and alcohol testingSome companies have policies to test their workers for alcohol and illicit substances, particularly if a worker could kill or seriously injure themselves or someone else. Managing risks with drugs and alcoholContact your WHS regulator for more information on your duties to manage drug and alcohol risks. Further guidance is available from: |