15 per cent of American employees under the effects of alcohol at work
At least seven per cent of the total workforce in America consumes alcohol daily in the office, while an additional nine per cent come to the office with a hangover, a recent survey found.
The survey, by the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo, polled 2,805 workers about their drinking habits in the workplace during the preceding year.
Fifteen per cent of the respondents admitted to either drinking before or during work. Lunchtime was the number one occasion to throw back a drink.
Of those who said they drink during the workday, most of them were single, young men in sales, media or the hospitality industry.
“Of all psychoactive substances with the potential to impair cognitive and behavioural performance, alcohol is the most widely used and misused substance in the general population and in the work force,” said Michael Frone, the study's chief researcher.
“The prevalence rates are high enough that employers should have explicit policies regarding alcohol use and impairment at work and employees should be aware of these policies.”
The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
The survey, by the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo, polled 2,805 workers about their drinking habits in the workplace during the preceding year.
Fifteen per cent of the respondents admitted to either drinking before or during work. Lunchtime was the number one occasion to throw back a drink.
Of those who said they drink during the workday, most of them were single, young men in sales, media or the hospitality industry.
“Of all psychoactive substances with the potential to impair cognitive and behavioural performance, alcohol is the most widely used and misused substance in the general population and in the work force,” said Michael Frone, the study's chief researcher.
“The prevalence rates are high enough that employers should have explicit policies regarding alcohol use and impairment at work and employees should be aware of these policies.”
The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
