The heaviest drinkers in the UK are found amongst men of working age. It’s no surprise then, that alcohol related sickness has a significant impact on employers.
The short term effect of over-drinking can include headache, tiredness, inability to concentrate – things that we we would associate with a hangover, but over the long term drinking too much alcohol can lead to psychological and physical illness. These issues can be a significant problem to staff member and employer as evidence also shows that over-drinkers also change jobs more frequently than other employees.
The impact of these issues is a drain on health resources and a cost to employers.
Many employees cite ‘work stress’ as a reason for drinking. Although it can be difficult to exactly define stress, it is commonly identified with feelings of anxiety, low mood and worry. Many people will have a drink to relieve these feelings without realising that alcohol, as a depressant, can actually make some of these feelings worse.Evidence
Yet, at any one point in time around one in six British workers can be experiencing symptoms (such as sleep problems or worry) associated with having a mental health condition and a further one in six have symptoms sufficient to warrant a clinical diagnosis and/or treatment.
Poor mental health and wellbeing account for an estimated 25% of short-term illness is costing employers an estimated £26 billion annually (through, for example, raised sickness absence or reduced productivity). There’s also good evidence for the use of work-based support programmes when used to assist staff to achieve good health.
