Study reveals sobering news: 15% work under influence of alcohol
7.1% say they drink alcohol at least once during the workday
So you think cocktails are reserved for happy hour? According to a study conducted at the University at Buffalo (NY) Research Institute on Addictions (RIA), drinking is not relegated only to after-work activities. In fact, the study found workplace alcohol use and impairment directly affects about 15% of the U.S. work force, or 19.2 million workers.
According to Michael R. Frone, PhD, research associate professor in psychology at the University at Buffalo and principal investigator in social and organizational psychology at RIA, alcohol's availability and wide use make it the most misused psychoactive substance in the workplace.
Based on his study, reported in the January issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Frone estimates that 2.3 million workers (1.8% of the work force) have consumed alcohol at least once before coming to work, and 8.9 million workers (7.1% of the work force) drank alcohol at least once during the workday. Most workers who drink during the workday do so during lunch breaks, though some drink while working or during other breaks, Frone says.
He estimates that 2.1 million workers (1.7% of the work force) have worked under the influence of alcohol on at least one occasion, and 11.6 million workers (9.2% of the work force) have worked with a hangover.
Unfortunately, says Kathleen Weaver, communications director for RIA, employers' abilities to deal with the influence of and impairment caused by alcohol use at and before work is not as widespread.
"There are many places, usually smaller employers, that have no policy in place [for dealing with drinking on the job]," she explains. "They have no means to fire the employee, so they might just work around them [when they are impaired]."
Frone's is the first study of workplace alcohol use that representatively samples the American work force. The study was designed to reflect the demographic composition of the adult civilian United States between the ages of 18 and 65. Telephone interviews were conducted with 2,805 working adults in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
Those interviewed were asked how often during the previous year they:
- drank alcohol within two hours of reporting to work;
- drank during the workday; and/or
- worked under the influence of alcohol or with a hangover.
The study found that workplace alcohol use and impairment was more prevalent among men than women. Also, working under the influence of alcohol or with a hangover was more prevalent among younger workers compared to older workers and in unmarried workers compared to married workers.
Among the broad occupation groups showing the highest rates of workplace alcohol use and impairment were management, sales, arts/entertainment/sports/media, food preparation and serving, and building and grounds maintenance.
Workers on the evening and night shift and those working a nonstandard shift involving irregular or flexible work hours were more likely to report drinking before coming to work compared to workers on a regular day shift. Those working a nonstandard shift were also more likely to use alcohol during the workday and report being at work under the influence of alcohol.
Weaver points out that prior to Frone's study, very little data existed on the prevalence, frequency, and distribution of alcohol use and impairment at the workplace. One of the things researchers found in doing the study, she says, is that alcohol use and impairment on the job is viewed in various ways.
"A lot of workplace cultures make jokes about drinking, and how an employee's drinking is received by his peers can impact whether or not they are comfortable doing it at the work site, or if they sneak off and drink," she says. "But either way, someone knows what you're doing, and in some places it's almost socially acceptable."
Frone, in releasing the findings of his study, said alcohol abuse by working adults "is an important social policy issue with the potential to undermine employee productivity and safety." He contends that the full impact of employee alcohol use on productivity and safety may not be understood until closer attention is paid to the context in which drinking occurs.
"The context of alcohol use — off the job vs. on the job — is important to an understanding of the productivity implications [job attendance vs. job performance and safety] of that use," he said.
Frone says the study indicates that most workplace alcohol use and impairment does not occur frequently. Among employees who reported drinking before work, 71% reported doing so less than monthly, 25% said they did so monthly, and 4% said they drink before work on a weekly basis. Of those who drank during the workday, 62% did so less than monthly, 24% monthly, and 14% weekly.
Some industries hit harder
Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems (ESAP), a program at George Washington University Medical Center, compiled research in 2005 that suggests nearly one in seven construction workers has a serious alcohol problem. (See table.)
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Mining, wholesale, and retail workers were also near the top of the ESAP list; workers in those industries are 25% to 45% more likely to have a serious alcohol problem than the average U.S. worker. By contrast, government agencies and professional services, such as law, medicine, or architecture, employ far fewer problem drinkers.
Weaver says educating the entire work force, especially managers, is as essential as treating the worker drinking on the job, so that the culture of the work site does not encourage or accept on-the-job impairment.
But, noting that management was among the top five broad occupational groups showing the highest rates of workplace alcohol use and impairment, she adds, "How can they police, if they have the problem?"
Expert: Offering treatment options pays off
Despite the ready availability of alcohol awareness education, alcohol use continues to take a tremendous toll on the work force.
More than 7% of workers in the United States have a problem with alcohol, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, including those who are dependent on, or suffer from alcoholism, and others who drink in ways that are risky to health and safety.
"Not many companies track the cost of alcohol problems or the savings they can realize from treatment, but ones that do, even smaller ones, have seen that treatment unmistakably saves money," says Eric Goplerud, PhD, director of the ESAP program. "The fact is, for every industry, the numbers are too high. Alcohol problems take a tremendous toll on the workplace, and it's in the interest of every workplace to confront the problem and encourage treatment.
"Treatment works — it saves companies money, and it saves people's lives."
[For more information, contact:
Kathleen Weaver, communications manager, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, NY. Phone: (716) 887-2566. Email: [email protected].
Eric Goplerud, PhD, director, Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, George Washington University. Phone: (202) 296-6922 or (202) 530-2302. Fax: (202) 296-0025. Web site: www.ensuringsolutions.org.]
Reference
Frone MR. Prevalence and distribution of alcohol use and impairment in the workplace: A U.S. national survey. J Studies Alcohol 2006; 67:147-156.
So you think cocktails are reserved for happy hour? According to a study conducted at the University at Buffalo (NY) Research Institute on Addictions (RIA), drinking is not relegated only to after-work activities.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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