Work-Related Alcohol Use and Harm to Others

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sociology of Work
• Addiction Studies

Background:

• Alcohol consumption among coworkers is prevalent in many professional settings.
• This practice can lead to adverse outcomes for employees.
• Understanding these consequences and their risk factors is crucial for workplace well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of negative consequences stemming from work-related alcohol consumption.
• To identify risk factors associated with experiencing harm due to coworkers' drinking.
• To analyze the relationship between perceived coworker intoxication and employee harm.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 3596 Norwegian employees aged 20-69.
• Participants reported experiencing exclusion, unwanted sexual attention, physical harm, or verbal abuse due to coworkers' drinking in the past 12 months.
• Statistical regression analyses examined associations with socio-demographics, job characteristics, personal alcohol use, and perceived coworker intoxication frequency.

Main Results:

• 18% of employees reported experiencing at least one negative consequence in the past year.
• Exclusion (10.7%) and unwanted sexual attention (7.0%) were the most common harms.
• Perceived coworker intoxication frequency was strongly linked to all negative outcomes, while personal drinking frequency predicted verbal abuse, physical harm, and unwanted sexual attention.

Conclusions:

• Annually, about one-sixth of Norwegian employees suffer harm from their colleagues' alcohol consumption.
• The frequency of intoxication within work contexts is a significant predictor of harm to others.
• Addressing workplace alcohol culture and perceived intoxication is vital for mitigating employee harm.