With drinking culture so prevalent in the UK right now, what measures should you be taking during work events to keep your employees safe?
Drinking culture can be dangerous, and it only becomes more of a problem when left unacknowledged. Over 25 million adults in England are regular drinkers, and for many of them alcohol will begin to affect their working lives sooner or later. Work events can unintentionally encourage excessive drinking, but there are ways to keep your employees safe and prevent it from becoming a problem.
Are your employees feeling pressured to drink at work events?
As you likely already know – not every employee is interested in drinking at a work event. Whether their reasoning is religion, health, general teetotalism or they’re simply the designated driver, the pressure to drink at conferences, business events or work parties can be distressing for your staff. Some staff members may also feel excluded from events due to drinking culture, or may even be put-off attending an event because of its location (bars, pubs, clubs, distilleries, etc).
Identifying this and taking the issue seriously is the first step in improving employee wellbeing and morale – both for those who do choose to drink and those who don’t.
If you’re not sure whether or not some of your employees feel pressured to drink at work events, or feel excluded from them, simply just ask. Setting up anonymous feedback forms using a free tool such as Google Surveys or liaising with your HR department to help increase communication on the topic is a great place to start. Do this by encouraging an open, judgement-free dialogue between employees and managers or those in charge of organising workplace events. This will do wonders for your organisation both in terms of a wide range of issues, not just workplace drinking culture.
What can I do to look out for my employees needs?
Keeping your staff safe when you’re supposed to be letting your hair down can sound like a lot of work, but it can be as simple as talking to your employees. This can help you get a better idea of the environment your staff experiences at work events. If there are problems, this is the fastest way to find out about them.
In the meantime, there are ways to plan your parties that help to keep your events as welcoming as possible.
If you’re providing drinks, there’s an easy solution to drinking pressure: make sure there are options! If an employee is teetotal, ensure that they have just as much variety to choose from as their fellow staff members. This also leaves room for employees to stop drinking during the event if they want to. Tasty mocktail menus, smoothies and shakes can be great alternatives to a plain old cola.
Another good way to ensure your employees are staying safe is to provide food. It may seem simple, but food helps to mitigate the effects of heavy drinking – and if food is provided at the event, employees are less likely to leave to try and find their own while drunk. What’s more, who doesn’t love free food?
In the same way, make sure that water is always available. Alcohol can dehydrate you quickly, and it helps to have water on hand to mitigate hangovers and make sure your employees are drinking safely.
How can I discourage drink driving?
Drinking culture isn’t only a problem in the UK: drunk driving is a leading cause of car crashes globally, and yet it remains one of the most common infractions of traffic law in the world. In fact, a study found that 1 in 12 people in Texas have driven under the influence of alcohol at some point in their lives – that’s as many as 2.5 million people in Texas alone.
There are many reasons why someone might decide to drive while drunk. The most effective solution is simply to make sure there are alternatives available for your employees to get home.
Always ensure that your events are planned well in advance. That way your staff will have plenty of time to arrange transport to and from the event. This also allows a good amount of time for employees to ask questions about the event and plan accordingly around the party.
To give your staff a range of alternatives, you can offer to pay for taxis to get them home safely. This is also a good way of making sure everyone has the chance to participate in the event, whether they have reliable transportation or not. Booking a minibus can be a great option for those who live in a similar area, which can do multiple drop-offs at each staff member’s home address.
Another option is to hold an event at a place that’s easily accessible via public transport, so that your staff can easily get the train, tram or bus home at a low cost.
While drinking culture can be an issue at work events, that doesn’t mean that alcohol has to be eliminated entirely – there are plenty of ways to encourage your staff to drink safely at your events or feel comfortable with not doing so. Taking these steps can also improve relationships with your employees, and will make your party as accessible and welcoming as can be.
