What effect does alcohol have on your work?

Still on Sunday evening have that second or third glass of wine, a networking drink that got out of hand or a colleague who calls in 'sick' again on Monday morning; At work we all suffer, directly or indirectly, from the consequences of drinking too much alcohol. What impact does alcohol actually have on our work?

An advantage of IkPas is that you get up fresh every morning. You don't have to worry about whether or not you can have that beer or wine now, because tomorrow will be a busy working day, for example. Drinking alcohol can affect your performance the next day. One notices this after drinking one alcoholic drink, the other only after several drinks. Yet almost all of us are aware of the effect that alcohol has on our functioning. Alcohol may even have more impact than you think.

Why are alcohol and work not a good combination?

There are several reasons why alcohol and work don't mix well. In the worst case scenario, alcohol makes you sleeps less well, so that you start your working day more tired. Furthermore, after a 'heavy' evening, the next working day you may have more trouble concentrating and completing your work within the usual time and according to your usual standards. People who drink excessively more often mention memory problems, making more mistakes, being late more often, regular absenteeism and complaints from colleagues as other work-related complaints. The stress this causes can cause people to drink more in the evening to relax. In that case, drinking alcohol can become a negative spiral.

Source: alcoholondercontrol.nl.

• 15,5% of workers drink risky. This means that about 16 in 100 workers drink in such a way that they experience problems because of their drinking behaviour. Think of not being able to fulfill obligations, regretting alcohol use or being advised by others to drink less.
• Young adults are more likely to be absent due to alcohol than older age groups.
• Men are more likely to be less productive at work due to alcohol use than women.
• Workers almost miss every year 5.5 million working days by alcohol.
• Colleagues are bothered by (problematic) alcohol use by colleagues.

Source: Infographic from the Lifestyle Monitor 2018

The consequences of (too much) alcohol for your work

Besides the fact that it is better for your performance to drink little or no alcohol, there is another important reason to appear fresh and fruity at work: the safety of yourself and others. This way you can still have alcohol in your blood the next morning, so that you are not sober. This could mean driving to work under the influence. Or if, for example, you work with machines, operate machines under the influence. Showing up for work under the influence can even lead to instant dismissal.

An estimated 20-25% of all accidents at work is alcohol related. Source: Trimbos.nl

Employers' alcohol policy

More and more organizations are focusing on the well-being of employees and sustainable employability of employees. This increasingly includes information and agreements about the use of alcohol, drugs and medicines. Clear agreements create clarity and ensure a safer, healthy and pleasant working environment.

Fortunately, many of the scenarios listed above don't apply to most people. But be honest, how often have you performed a day less than usual because you had looked just a little too deep into the glass the day before?

 Have you noticed a difference in your performance at work since you took part in IkPas? Share your experiences on the IkPas forum.