Working Life > Workplace > Drinking at Work

Alcohol in Workplace

Statistics seem to want to warn us: 10 to 30 per cent of work accidents go along with alcohol abuse. Alcoholics stand out by an absence rate of 16 times the normal, 2.5 times more frequent sickness, 3.5 more frequent work accidents and a working performance reduced by 25 per cent compared to their colleagues. 5 per cent of all employees are said to be alcohol-addicted and further 10 per cent strongly endangered. 11 per cent of employees drink alcohol at work every day, 41 per cent betimes.

Drinking alcohol reduces attentiveness, critical faculties, impairs vision and reaction and causes hubris. Other consequences are disturbed sense of equilibrium, coordination of arms and legs and missing fine motor skills of the hands. In the long run, massivealcohol abuse causes organ damages. That is why alcoholism is a disease to be treated by doctors and experts.

There is a higher risk of alcoholism for people working in occupations in which they need to drink much, as in dusty and hot environments and in physically hard work. But also people in jobs with high psychological stress are endangered, e.g. field staff, IT-experts, manager.

Legally, there is no absolute prohibition at work. An employee is allowed to consume alcohol, as long as he/she does not neglect his/her duties.

For the boss

• Be sensitive regarding alcoholism in your periphery
• As an executive, your job is to commit yourself to the problem, since it affects people's work
• Point out to people where they can get help
• Cancel your employee if he/she refuses to undergo withdrawal treatment in spite of evidenced alcoholism
• Think in how far alcohol prohibition in employment contracts, company agreements or working instructions makes sense, and how you can reduce clandestine drinking
• Consider whether the matter endangers other employees or the affected person. If so, send him home at once. For that time, you are allowed to not pay on the salary. You also can give him/her an Abmahnung and threaten cancellation. In especially serious cases you are allowed to cancel without notice
• Cancellation of alcoholic employees without notice takes a longer procedure within which a withdrawal treatment must be offered. Only when that has been refused or in case of relapse, you are actually entitled to cancel
• By virtue of your duty of care (“Fürsorgepflicht”) you have to make the drunk employee not drive a vehicle
• Generally broach the issue of alcohol in workplace. Give informative talks and point out consequences for working athmosphere, performance and health and safety
• Speak directly about it with the affected employee
  • Have a discreet talk in which you show your concern about the employee
  • Reflect your observations (reek, trembling, uncertain movement, loss of concentration)
  • Point out the consequences of alcohol abuse for the work: lacks of performance, non-reliability, misbehaviour towards colleagues and customers
  • Do not give sermons and do not condemn
  • Do not be satisfied with promises. Define clear measurements to take including time limits. e.g. change of behaviour or contacting an addiction advice centre within 3 months
  • If no change is made, you should have one more talk with works council and works doctor and issue a written “Verwarnung” to the employee
  • Make the employee aware of possible loss of his/her job through cancellation

• Get support from the works doctor, or, if there is one, from an addiction expert
• Do not procrastinate the problem by waiting or by transferring the employee
• Keep it strictly confidential
• Be counselled. There are a load of labour-legal regulations to mind with alcoholics, before you are allowed to cancel them
• Although you may prohibit it, you are not allowed run tests for alcohol, unless an employee consents to it
• Make sure that alcohol prohibition is respected and remind employees of it time and again
• Have witnesses in your talks with the employee

For colleagues

• Do not exhibit pity towards the alcoholic or the drunk
• Do not celebrate with alcohol. If there are alcoholics or endangered colleagues, you should try not to tempt them to drink alcohol: business lunches, company parties, company trips and incentive actions with no alcohol
• Do not cover up your colleague's problem by taking over some of his work coming to his defence against the boss. Such behaviour is called co-addiction. It supports the alcoholic's self-deceit, relieves him of some self-responsibility and even fosters his/her addiction
• Turn to addiction experts or works doctors

For the person concerned

• In a job interview you do not have to answer questions related to your drinking habits. However, you must not conceal alcoholism. If, because of the disease, you are unable to render the contract's required performance or endanger others, then you must convey this
• If you injure a colleague when you are drunk, you will be liable if you did it deliberately. If not, your professional association is liable
• Turn to addiction experts and works doctors

• Checklist: Alcohol at the workplace (only in German)
  
• Template: Warning letter in cause of alcohol at the workplace (only in German)
  

• Alcohol problem intervention in the workplace by Paul M. Roman