Drink, drugs and work: the figures

On 10th
July 2001, Personnel Today ran a questionnaire in association with DrugScope
and Alcohol Concern, aimed at getting a clearer picture of how organisations
handle the effects of drug and alcohol
misuse. Here are the results.

ALCOHOL

1a)
Which of the following applies to your organisation?

	All organisations	Organisations with problems with alcohol	Organisations with problems with drugs	Organisations with an alcohol policy	Organisations with a drugs policy	Organisations where lunchtime drinking is allowed
Soft drinks are available at work related events where there is alcohol	71%	67%	68%	65%	66%	85%
There have been problems due to employees misuse of alcohol	60%	100%	88%	63%	55%	60%
Lunchtime drinking is allowed	51%	51%	36%	43%	40%	100%
Alcohol is consumed when doing business with other organisations	30%	28%	25%	25%	18%	46%
On the work premises there is a bar or facility where alcohol is available	9%	10%	11%	9%	5%	12%
None of these/not supplied	5%	–	1%	7%	8%	–

1b)
Do you think that lunchtime drinking should be allowed in your organisation?

Yes	25 %
No	74%
Don’t know / Not stated	1%

1c)
To your knowledge, in the past year has alcohol misuse resulted in any of the
following in your organisation?

	All organisations	Organisations with problems with alcohol	Organisations with problems with drugs	Organisations with an alcohol policy	Organisations with a drugs policy	Organisations where lunchtime drinking is allowed
Absenteeism	75%	85%	87%	77%	76%	71%
Poor performance	61%	76%	80%	61%	58%	62%
Disciplinary procedure	42%	58%	68%	40%	37%	36%
Permanent loss of staff	30%	43%	45%	33%	24%	30%
None / Not supplied	14%	4%	5%	14%	18%	17%
Damage to business	8%	10%	12%	7%	11%	8%
Accidents at work	6%	9%	16%	7%	11%	4%

DRUGS

3a)
Which of the following applies to you and your organisation?

Managers in your organisation are aware of the legal situation regarding illicit drugs at work	59%
Employees under 30 tend to be more tolerant of drug use outside work	31%
There have been problems due to employees’ misuse of drugs	27%
Not stated / None	21%

3b)
Are you confident that you can recognise the signs of drug misuse?

Yes	32%
No	67%
Don’t know / Not stated	1%

4)
To your knowledge, has drug misuse ever resulted in any of the following in
your organisation?

None / Not supplied	58%
Absenteeism	31%
Poor performance	27%
Disciplinary procedure	24%
Permanent loss of staff	16%
Damage to business	3%
Accidents at work	3%

ALCOHOL
AND DRUG WORKPLACE POLICIES

5)
In your organisation:

There is a workplace policy for alcohol only	7%
There is a workplace policy for drugs only	1%
There are two separate drug & alcohol policies	12%
The two policies are combined (joint drugs/alcohol policy)	59%
The policies are regularly communicated to staff	25%
Not stated	22%

6)
How does your organisation implement its disciplinary procedures?

Your organisation has guidelines that clearly state when drugs/drink become a disciplinary matter	78%
An employee would be disciplined for an out of hours offence which didn’t directly affect work	11%
Your organisation would sack an employee with an alcohol problem	7%
Your organisation would sack an employee with a drug problem	6%
Not stated	15%

DEALING
WITH PROBLEMS

7)
What is your organisation’s approach to testing for alcohol or drug use?

Your organisation does not currently test but is considering introducing in the next year	31%
Employees have been tested for alcohol or drug use	10%
Tests for alcohol or drug use have been used in recruitment process	9%
Not stated	58%

8)
Do employees have access to specialist help?

You would support an employee getting specialist help for alcohol or drug problem	84%
You have an occupational health dept or access to occupational health services	57%
You know which local specialist agencies to go to for advice & support when dealing with problems	49%
Health advice & information about the effects of alcohol & drugs is easily available	35%
You have the skills & knowledge to raise the issue with staff	19%
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Drink, drugs and work: the figures

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