The overuse of alcohol plays a prominent part in the lives of so many people – you only have to look at the closing times of pubs and clubs in many of our cities. It is almost inevitable that the problem will spill over into the workplace.
According to research undertaken by employment law experts ELAS, one in four employees in the UK had confessed to working under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and more than a fifth stated that they drove to work despite feeling that they were over the legal limit (‘Quarter of employees have attended work ‘under the influence’,’ People Management, 5 December 2014).
The highest per cent was to found in London with nearly a third of workers attend work whilst intoxicated, followed by the West Midlands (30 per cent) and Yorkshire and Humber (27 per cent).
The least likely areas for this type of behaviour were in the East Midlands and Northern Ireland (both were on 15 per cent).
The findings are interesting as it is calculated that up to 17 million working days are lost every year due to alcohol-related sickness, costing the UK tax payer an estimated £1.7 million.
Danny Clarke, the Head of Occupational Health and Safety at ELAS, stated: ‘A quarter of UK workers admitting to working whilst intoxicated creates massive safety implications. Employers must step up and take action to ensure safe working practices at all times – especially when offences become more prevalent over the Christmas period.
‘This is particularly important for industries where workers are required to operate machinery, transport or come into contact with the public. Ideally, companies should have a policy relating to alcohol and drugs that may include testing procedures which are seen as best practice in all industries. In those where consequences could be fatal, having a testing procedure is the best way to safeguard against liability and ensure safety on site is maintained.
‘Employers UK-wide must ensure that workers are aware of the dangers of both working and driving whilst under the influence of an intoxicating substance.’
In another survey, it was found that 57 per cent of UK employees drink alcohol to excess regularly with damaging consequences for their health and workforce productivity (‘Research reveals extent of heavy drinking in UK workforce,’ People Management, 12 December 2014). Despite these findings, 79 per cent were content with the amount that they drunk with only 21 per cent thinking they had drunk too much.
In the Bible, we are exhorted to ‘not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.’ (Ephesians 5: 18). We are to be on our most attentive and alert for we are to be the best workers for our ultimate boss is God (Ephesians 6: 7 – 8).
We are responsible for our actions so we need to be able to determine them by sober judgement.
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