Alcohol abuse at the workplace
In this series of two articles, John Cassar White deals with two particular factors that are affecting workers' productivity in Malta - alcohol abuse and bullying - and the importance of addressing these issues to optimise the output of our workers.
Despite the lack of local up-to-date empirical research on alcohol-related workplace studies, there is abundant anecdotal evidence that this problem is increasing in Maltese businesses. The National Institute of Drug Abuse of the US defines heavy drinking as "drinking five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days". Of course there are other more stringent definitions of what constitutes heavy drinking which often leads to alcohol dependence or alcoholism, but what matters here is the fact that the number of workers who indulge in heavy drinking is not insignificant and is on the increase.
The causes of alcohol abuse in the workplace are varied. While problems relating to the personal life of employees are no doubt a major cause of alcohol abuse, it is becoming increasingly evident that other factors in the workplace itself are contributing to employee drinking problems. The more the economic climate deteriorates, the more workers resort to drink to cope with the stresses of work.
Research in US businesses has identified the following factors that contribute to the increase of alcohol abuse:
Stress - As companies restructure to confront the threat of job losses as a result of globalisation, employees at all levels of an organisation often resort to heavy drinking to cope with increasing workloads and diminishing resources.
Alienation - Poor management at the higher levels of a business organisation often leads to employees drinking to cope with feelings of lack of meaning and acknowledgement in their working lives.
Social control -Management often ignores distress signals coming from employees who are clearly indulging in alcohol abuse, only for the problem to become practically unmanageable because of lax supervisory controls in the early stages.
Culture - Many employees feel forced to conform to a workplace culture that looks at heavy drinking as normal behaviour.
All of these factors are very relevant in the local context. It is also a sad reality that, while we have still not reached the levels of alcohol abuse found in most British and Irish workplaces, our young people are increasingly indulging in heavy drinking and this is likely to make this problem even worse in the coming few years.
The effects of alcohol abuse on the workplace are extensive and seriously impact productivity. In the US almost 50 per cent of workplace injuries can be linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Even when no injuries are involved, employees who use alcohol excessively often have a worse than average record of sick leave. Once again, if we are to rely on US statistics, it is estimated that the effect of drug and alcohol abuse costs US businesses between 1 per cent to 10 per cent of their payroll expenditure.
Although workplace research confirms that the lowest rates of heavy alcohol use is to be found among clerical employees, secretaries, teachers and child care workers, alcohol abuse can be found in all trades and professions and in different levels of business organisations. I am personally aware of a few very senior executives in different large business organisations in Malta who are struggling to cope with their own excessive alcohol consumption.
The next issue that needs to be addressed relates to the ideal context in which this problem needs to be tackled. The school remains the first line of defence. If our youngsters are made aware of the consequences of heavy drinking from an early age, it is more likely that they will be better informed when confronted with the first risks that push them to indulge in excessive drinking.
The family, medical community, and religious and philanthropic organisations can also contribute to the prevention, intervention and treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It is today generally accepted by experts on this subject that workplace intervention remains the most effective way to help workers with drinking problems.
The workplace environment provides a framework that can address the denial that often characterises those abusing of alcohol. The employer/employee relationship is the ideal setting to push an employee to accept that he or she has a problem that, if not addressed, can lead to the loss of employment. This is often incentive enough for victims of alcohol abuse to take the first step towards rehabilitation.
Moreover, the kind of relationship that exists between workers in a particular workplace makes it easier for some workers to want to help their colleagues stricken by a drink problem to seek professional help. Many workplaces in Malta now have employer-sponsored employee assistance programmes that provide the ideal framework where progress in the handling of these problems can be monitored and documented in a way that accelerates the recovery process.
The positive attitude of employers to these issues is of vital importance. While the costs of these support programmes are no doubt real, the ultimate gain is enjoyed also by the employer who provides such services for his employees. Employers need to harness the energy provided by teams of volunteers who can act as peer counsellors within their workforce to support their colleagues in the process of rehabilitation. It is also advisable to involve trade unions in this process to gain trust between all the parties that have an interest in these issues.
Improving productivity may seem a high level management topic that is best discussed in sterile boardrooms. But with the ever increasing acknowledgement that our business leaders need to build up more emotional intelligence in their skills base, it is becoming vitally important to focus on the issues that affect productivity at the micro level of the organisation. Alcohol abuse in different levels of our business organisations is a reality that we need to address if we are to reduce the negative elements that are contributing to low productivity in some of our businesses.
The causes of alcohol abuse in the workplace are varied. While problems relating to the personal life of employees are no doubt a major cause of alcohol abuse, it is becoming increasingly evident that other factors in the workplace itself are contributing to employee drinking problems. The more the economic climate deteriorates, the more workers resort to drink to cope with the stresses of work.
Research in US businesses has identified the following factors that contribute to the increase of alcohol abuse:
Stress - As companies restructure to confront the threat of job losses as a result of globalisation, employees at all levels of an organisation often resort to heavy drinking to cope with increasing workloads and diminishing resources.
Alienation - Poor management at the higher levels of a business organisation often leads to employees drinking to cope with feelings of lack of meaning and acknowledgement in their working lives.
Social control -Management often ignores distress signals coming from employees who are clearly indulging in alcohol abuse, only for the problem to become practically unmanageable because of lax supervisory controls in the early stages.
Culture - Many employees feel forced to conform to a workplace culture that looks at heavy drinking as normal behaviour.
All of these factors are very relevant in the local context. It is also a sad reality that, while we have still not reached the levels of alcohol abuse found in most British and Irish workplaces, our young people are increasingly indulging in heavy drinking and this is likely to make this problem even worse in the coming few years.
The effects of alcohol abuse on the workplace are extensive and seriously impact productivity. In the US almost 50 per cent of workplace injuries can be linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Even when no injuries are involved, employees who use alcohol excessively often have a worse than average record of sick leave. Once again, if we are to rely on US statistics, it is estimated that the effect of drug and alcohol abuse costs US businesses between 1 per cent to 10 per cent of their payroll expenditure.
Although workplace research confirms that the lowest rates of heavy alcohol use is to be found among clerical employees, secretaries, teachers and child care workers, alcohol abuse can be found in all trades and professions and in different levels of business organisations. I am personally aware of a few very senior executives in different large business organisations in Malta who are struggling to cope with their own excessive alcohol consumption.
The next issue that needs to be addressed relates to the ideal context in which this problem needs to be tackled. The school remains the first line of defence. If our youngsters are made aware of the consequences of heavy drinking from an early age, it is more likely that they will be better informed when confronted with the first risks that push them to indulge in excessive drinking.
The family, medical community, and religious and philanthropic organisations can also contribute to the prevention, intervention and treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It is today generally accepted by experts on this subject that workplace intervention remains the most effective way to help workers with drinking problems.
The workplace environment provides a framework that can address the denial that often characterises those abusing of alcohol. The employer/employee relationship is the ideal setting to push an employee to accept that he or she has a problem that, if not addressed, can lead to the loss of employment. This is often incentive enough for victims of alcohol abuse to take the first step towards rehabilitation.
Moreover, the kind of relationship that exists between workers in a particular workplace makes it easier for some workers to want to help their colleagues stricken by a drink problem to seek professional help. Many workplaces in Malta now have employer-sponsored employee assistance programmes that provide the ideal framework where progress in the handling of these problems can be monitored and documented in a way that accelerates the recovery process.
The positive attitude of employers to these issues is of vital importance. While the costs of these support programmes are no doubt real, the ultimate gain is enjoyed also by the employer who provides such services for his employees. Employers need to harness the energy provided by teams of volunteers who can act as peer counsellors within their workforce to support their colleagues in the process of rehabilitation. It is also advisable to involve trade unions in this process to gain trust between all the parties that have an interest in these issues.
Improving productivity may seem a high level management topic that is best discussed in sterile boardrooms. But with the ever increasing acknowledgement that our business leaders need to build up more emotional intelligence in their skills base, it is becoming vitally important to focus on the issues that affect productivity at the micro level of the organisation. Alcohol abuse in different levels of our business organisations is a reality that we need to address if we are to reduce the negative elements that are contributing to low productivity in some of our businesses.