Counting the cost of alcohol in the workplace
Every year, Alcohol Change UK organises Alcohol Awareness Week and this year’s theme is the link between alcohol and work.
17 million working days are lost each year in the UK because of alcohol-related sickness, costing the economy around £7 billion, with 40% of employers citing alcohol as a significant cause of low productivity. Workplace stress can be a factor in increasing alcohol consumption and many workplace cultures can encourage drinking through events where drinking is considered normal.
Not only does alcohol consumption have a major impact on workplace productivity and the economy, it can also cause irreversible harm to health, including mouth, throat, stomach, and liver cancer, with 11,900 new cases annually. Beyond the physical health implications, alcohol also significantly impacts mental health.
Directors of Public Health, who have responsibility for the health and wellbeing of residents in their local area, work in partnership in a variety of ways to help reduce alcohol consumption and some local public health teams are recognising the work done by local employers to support their employees’ health and wellbeing around alcohol.
For example, the public health team in Gloucestershire is using the Healthy Workplaces Gloucestershire Award scheme to recognise local employers and the work they do to support their employees. Nearly 100 local employers are taking part in the scheme, which includes action they can take to support their workforce around alcohol.
Siobhan Farmer, Director of Public Health for Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Alcohol misuse across the UK is a significant public health problem with major health, social and economic consequences, estimated at between £21 and £52 billion a year. As well as the impact of alcohol on our public services there are costs to employers and the wider economy. The Healthy Workplaces Award supports businesses to address all aspects of workplace wellbeing, including alcohol use, and can be accessed by any employer in Gloucestershire.”
The team is working to maximise the opportunities to use the Award to address work-related factors that can drive risky drinking such as workplace stress, to raise awareness of risks, promote healthier ways of socialising, relaxing and coping with difficulties, and highlight available support.
Alison Challenger, ADPH spokesperson for Addiction and Director of Public Health for West Sussex, added:
“Alcohol harms individuals and, if that isn’t motive enough, it also harms our country’s economy. Over time, alcohol has become increasingly acceptable, accessible, and affordable and while the measures outlined in the 10-year plan to introduce new standards for alcohol labelling are welcome, we need a national strategy that applies the lessons we have learnt from tackling tobacco harm to the alcohol industry, so that we can drive down the increasing, and unacceptable, social and financial cost of alcohol harm.”