Young professionals
From ritual after-hours pub trips to entertaining clients at corporate events, work and alcohol can seem intricate in some working cultures. But mixing the two can cause headaches, especially when you’re just starting out in your career.
If you go into a job straight from school you may suddenly have to cope with being the youngest of your colleagues and all the pressure that comes with that. If you’ve just left university, you may have been used to drinking alcohol for a few years – but sinking pints with your mates in the union bar and staying professional while drinking with clients are two very different things.
Key issues
Could working drive you to drink? In 2007 a government study found that people who work are more likely to drink alcohol, and drink more of it, than those not in employment. People in organisations with a culture of heavy workplace drinking also drink more outside of work.
Another survey of more than 5,000 workers found that in workplaces where drinking is most discouraged, people were half as likely to be heavy drinkers than in offices where regular drinking was seen as normal .
There is a very thin line between team building and getting a less than desirable reputation. One of the biggest challenges is balancing drinking with remaining professional around your colleagues. Going to the pub or a work event straight from the office could mean you get drunk faster.
For example, not eating between the office and hitting the pub is the worst possible start to a night. Without food in your belly alcohol is absorbed into your system more quickly. If you’re feeling nervous you may also finish your glass more quickly. Buying rounds can lead to pressure to spend more than you can afford and to drink to excess just to keep up with the pack. And yes, free bars are great, but they also make it very easy to end up drinking far more than you would if you were buying each drink yourself.
And does drinking mean you take more time of work? That can’t be good for your career prospects.
One study found that 2 million working Britons had taken one or more days off sick because of alcohol-induced illness over the previous six months, with younger workers the most likely to take time off: 12 per cent of under-30s had pulled a “sickie” because of drinking too much the night before.
Hangovers at work are really not fun, either. Dragging yourself into the office late, puffy-eyed and stinking of booze is unlikely to improve your professional credibility – but it will affect your concentration, making you tired, less productive and more likely to make mistakes.
A 2008 study found one in three employees admitting to having been hungover at work: one in ten said they came into work with a hangover once a month and one in 20 said it happens once a week.
And as well as the pressure to socialise with workmates or entertain clients, long hours or stress at work can lead people to drink more when they get home.
Risks
Alcohol can seriously affect your health
Even when you’re young, drinking too much can have serious long-term consequences. Work-related drinking can increase the amount of alcohol you consume significantly, putting you at greater risk of alcohol dependence and alcohol-related health problems.
Alcohol impairs concentration, co-ordination and judgment and is estimated to be a factor in 20-25% of all workplace accidents .
If you get drunk in a professional situation the consequences can be career damaging. Alcohol may help you to loosen up, but losing your inhibitions with clients or colleagues isn’t usually a good thing. Gossiping openly or being indiscreet about a manager or client may seem perfectly acceptable after a few drinks but can land you in hot water the next day.
Tips for drinking with work colleagues
- Stay within your recommended units 2-3 a day for women and 3-4 for men
- Opt out of rounds if you are in a big group of colleagues. Buying rounds forces you to drink more quickly
- Have some non-alcoholic drinks and plenty of water
- Have a big, late lunch on the days when you are going out straight after work, or a protein-rich snack just before you go out
- Make sure you have days off from drinking in the week – and try not to feel pressured into going to the pub every time your colleagues go. It’s healthy to maintain a social life outside of work too
- If in doubt over whether an anecdote or story may be inappropriate, err on the side of caution
- If your job is stressful, find other ways to relax when you get home – such as playing sport, cooking or listening to music.
1. Smoking and drinking among adults 2007 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GHS07/GHSSmokingandDrinkingAmongAdults2007.pdf
2. Journal of Occupational and Environmental medicine http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/64/9/602
3. Royal Sun Alliance survey http://www.rsagroup.com/rsa/pages/media/ukpressreleases?type=press&ref=337&view=true
4. Norwich Union Healthcare http://www.aviva.co.uk/media-centre/story/4048/uk-employees-admit-that-regular-drinking-affects-t/
5. Alcohol Concern http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/files/20030818_161950_workplace.pdf
- Page last updated by
- Root User, 19 Apr 2010.
- Page checked on
- 21 Aug 2009.
