Food service employee alcohol use, hangovers and norms during and after work hours

Abstract

Aims This paper presents analyses of norms and behavior concerning drinking before, during, and after work hours among U.S. bar-restaurant chain employees, with a focus on hangovers at work and their correlates. Methods A mixed method approach combined qualitative analysis of 64 face-to-face interviews held with randomly chosen service, managerial and kitchen staff and quantitative analyses (including multivariable linear regression and bivariate analyses) of data drawn from 1,286 completed telephone surveys (response rate 68%) with 18–29 year old employees. Results Relatively few survey respondents reported past-year drinking in the hour prior to work (5%) or during work hours (2.7%), but extensive drinking in non- work hours (85.5%), and 36.5% of respondents reported coming to work with a hangover at least once. Correlates of hangover at work were past year intoxication and holding positive norms for hangovers. These findings were elaborated by interview data describing heavy drinking after work at nearby bars, restaurants and employee homes. Conclusions The findings illustrated that employee drinking during work hours was not normative. However, study results portrayed widely-shared norms for heavy drinking outside of work, with hangovers and related harms appearing as the primary work time repercussions of after-work alcohol consumption.

Alcohol use among workers in male-dominated industries: A systematic review of risk factors

“…Employees' alcohol consumption also contributes to absenteeism (Bacharach et al, 2010;Holden et al, 2011;Jauregui and Schnall, 2009;Klingemann and Gmel, 2001;Pidd et al, 2006;Roche et al, 2008), reduced functioning (Ames et al, 1997;Holden et al, 2011;Mangione et al, 1999;Moore et al, 2012), disharmonious working relationships (Ames et al, 1997;Lehman and Simpson, 1992;Wang et al, 2010), employee turnover (Hoffmann and Larison, 1999), loss of productivity, and financial costs to employers (European Commission, 2011). High risk drinkers are approximately 22 times more likely to be absent from work due to their alcohol use compared to low risk drinkers .…”

“…High risk drinkers are approximately 22 times more likely to be absent from work due to their alcohol use compared to low risk drinkers . Workplace performance may also be impaired by presenteeism (Ames et al, 1997;Aronsson et al, 2000;Moore et al, 2012). Costs arising from presenteeism are estimated to be four times higher than that of absenteeism (Manning et al, 2013).…”

A Systematic Review of Alcohol Interventions Among Workers in Male-Dominated Industries

“…2,10 There is a significant financial cost to employers through alcohol's association with accidents, mortality, and injury, [11][12][13][14][15] and employee alcohol consumption has been associated with absenteeism and lower than optimum functioning at work (''presenteeism'') and reduced productivity and workplace turnover. 14,[16][17][18] High-risk drinkers are up to 22 times more likely to be absent from work because of their alcohol use compared with low-risk drinkers 18 ; costs arising from presenteeism are estimated to be four times higher than that of absenteeism. 8 Other factors that have been associated with alcohol and the workplace include the type and quality of work being performed, isolation, low levels of supervision, the availability of alcohol at or after work, norms surrounding drinking, and peer approval of drinking at work.…”

The health of restaurant work: A historical and social context to the occupational health of food service

“…Alcohol use outside work was common. One study found 85.5% of 1294 respondents reported drinking after work and 36.5% of employees reported coming to work hungover 75 . Excessive drinking is normalized in restaurant culture and alcohol's ready availability has been shown to influence consumption and lead to problematic usage.…”