Depending upon which survey you look at, alcohol is estimated to cause between 3-5% of all absences from work. This means that between 8-14 million working days are lost in the UK each year.
The effects of alcohol can also lead to accidents at work. Even low levels of alcohol in the body can cause loss of concentration and affect judgment and physical co-ordination. This can result in serious injury when machinery or vehicles are involved.
If driving is part of an employee's work, then the employer is vicariously liable for the actions of the employee. Therefore, if an employee is convicted of drink-driving, the employer can be sued for damages under civil law.
Excessive consumption of alcohol by an employee may result in loss of productivity and poor work performance. Other employees, who have to cover for colleagues’ absence or poor work because of their drinking, will quickly come to resent it.
Employees influenced by alcohol will sometimes display bad behaviour or poor discipline. Our advice is that Company Rules make the use or possession of alcohol at work a disciplinary offence.