Alcohol awareness week is a national campaign aimed at getting people thinking about alcohol and how it can affect us as individuals. Alcohol misuse can have damaging effects on people’s lives whether it be through long term abuse or one off incidences.
Wellwise are supporting this week to ensure that our contracting community are aware not just of the health risks alcohol presents but also the detrimental effects alcohol related incidents can have on peoples careers.
How can this affect you?
- Raised alcohol levels at work affect efficiency and safety – meaning increased likelihood of mistakes, errors in judgement and accidents.
- Hangovers affect attendance and performance.
- Persistent drinking may lead to serious social, psychological and medical problems which are associated with poor work attendance and performance.
DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT - AS WITH OUR CLIENTS, WELLWISE ALSO OPERATE AN ALCOHOL ABSTINANCE POLICY 24 HOURS BEFORE ANY MOBILISATION – BREACH OF THIS POLICY CAN RESULT IN CONTRACTORS BEING ‘NOT REQUIRED BACK’ GLOBALLY TO A CLIENT.
Key Messages:
According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, heavy drinking while off-duty can have a long-term effect on employee work performance, including absenteeism, inefficiency and poor decision-making.
Alcohol misuse costs the UK economy up to £6.4 billion per year, with up to 17 million days per year lost in productivity and absenteeism.
25% of employees in any large workforce typically drink above NHS guidelines, raising the risk of ill-health, time off work and loss of employment
A survey by YouGov found that a third of employees admit being at work with a hangover from the night before, which they accept impacts directly on their own productivity and safety. One in four state they make mistakes as a result.
Drinking over recommended guidelines daily or on most days increases the chance of liver disease and developing alcohol dependency.
For more information please see the below links:
www.nhs.uk/alcohol
www.nhs.uk/Change4Life
www.drinkaware.co.uk