More than Half of Britain’s Work Socialisation Involves Alcohol

Insurer Aviva’s latest report suggests that employers, who encourage going down to the pub for drinks as a form of work socialisation, could be affecting the health of employees even though they mean well.

More than half (57%) of the business leaders who took part in the fourth ‘Health of the Workplace’ report by Aviva, said that work socialising usually meant drinking at the pub. Just one out of five (23%) employers conducted team-building days with a poor one out of ten (13%) organising sporting events for their workforce.

Though 45% of bosses said that it was not obligatory to drink alcohol at company events, only 7% of managers actively discouraged their employees from consuming too much alcohol. More than a quarter (27%) of employers said that would not sympathise with employees who called in sick the following day. About 26% said that they would find this behavior concerning and fear that it would be a negative influence on other employees.

About 40% of employers said that they would feel responsible for creating an unhealthy work environment if any worker called in sick the following day. Another 17% said that they would find the situation amusing provided it did not occur very often.

Even as trips to the pub were the most common form of socialising, the study found that just 23% of employers believe that alcohol can create a positive team spirit and help employees bond. One out of ten (10%) felt that they should attend special events to keep their employees happy while 33% weren’t very enthusiastic about attending such events.

Close to 52% of employees surveyed said that they were not very enthusiastic about socialising with their team at pubs. One out of five employees (21%) admitted that they didn’t enjoy socialising with colleagues.

Article created by Editor. (info@safetynetscotland.co.uk)