Workplace Alcohol Consumption
For this final assignment, I would like you to put everything you have learned over the last 7 weeks to
work! I would like you to identify a management issue at your current place of employment. If you are not
currently employed, you can do a bit of research and find an issue that exists at another company.
Using the concepts that you have learned in this course, come up with a solution to this problem. This
paper must be at least 5 pages in length (not including the cover and reference page). You also need to
do some research. You are not an expert (not yet, anyway!), so you will need to find experts that support
your ideas. An excellent paper will include at least 5 different sources (including the text). Please make
sure you use the terminology from the text to explain both the problem as well as your proposed solution.
Your paper should be in proper APA format. Follow this link to the library where you can find detailed
information regarding this type of formatting. apus.campusguides.com/content.php
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Workplace Alcohol Consumption
Workplaces usually deal with a lot of challenges due to employees’ conduct, which
interfere with their working performance output. Among the problems faced in the workplace is
excessive alcohol intake. Problems associated to alcohol intake and drugs may be as a result of
social factors, personal, family or work associated situations, or as result of a blend of all those
elements. Alcohol intake in addition to extending adverse health impacts it also negatively
affects the wellbeing of workers; it also may cause work-associated problems such as a
weakening in job performance. Alcohol intake by particular workers also causes problems to
other workers since they might cause disturbance or conflict.
Alcohol in Workplaces
Whilst the elimination of alcohol usage is highly desirable, past experiences has indicated
plenty of challenges in dealing with alcohol intake in workplaces. Workplaces require putting up
policies to help the employees with alcohol intake problems. Workplace programs towards
preventing and decreasing alcohol associated problem amongst staff possess significant potential
due to a number of reasons (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). For instance, the actuality that the staffs
spend lots of time in workplaces, supervisors and coworkers have the chance to notice a
developing alcohol problem. Additionally employers are capable of using their influence to
motivate staffs to seeking help for alcohol intake problems (International Labour Office, 1996).
Over time however workplaces have started to neglect the task of dealing with alcohol intake
programs: alcohol intake has begun to be taken as a usual problem with the supervisors lightly
dealing with it. The decrease in workplace attention towards alcohol problem shows the urgent
need for creating as well as sustaining a policy for maintaining alcohol interventions in
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workplaces (Dronet, 1999). This article will illustrate the opportunities workplaces offer for
preventing alcohol-associated issues along with various programs available that workplaces
could adopt.
Workplace Prevention Opportunities
The workplace offers a number of potential opportunities for executing alcohol abuse
deterrence programs, they include (Roman & Blum, 2014);
Full-time staffs spend a considerable amount of time at work, heightening the probability
of exposure to preventive programs provided via the workplace. The possibility that
drinking problem evidence might be visible is also very high.
Work occupies a very important function in employees’ lives. Since many of the
employees have roles in their family and community which rely on them to maintain their
employment status in addition to the prestige that tags along, the association amongst
employer and employee possesses an extent of leverage. Therefore, the employer has the
right to demand sufficient levels of job performance. Thus if the employee infringes the
requirement the employer may withdraw some privileges such as pay to motivate the
employee change their behavior
The majority of the employees are adults asking the workplace a perfect setting to contact
a huge population.
Primary and Secondary Prevention within Workplace
Workplace programs comprise of primary as well as secondary prevention. The primary
prevention strategies are aimed at preventing the alcohol problems from arising, whereas the
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secondary prevention aims at reducing prevailing problems or difficulties (Slavit, Reagin, &
Finch, 2010). Researchers have indicated that workplaces over stresses on secondary prevention
at the expense of primary prevention. Primary prevention is mainly cost-effective as compared to
the expensive secondary prevention. The prevention of alcohol consumption is hindered by the
fact that adults are allowed by the law to consume alcohol. Thus, employers are rarely positioned
to prevent staffs from initiating alcohol intake as an off-job practice (Roman & Blum, 2014). All
together employers require staffs to undertake their jobs properly without disrupting or
endangering fellow workers activities.
Alcohol problems within the workplace may be identified through several events: firstly,
the association of drinking practice with performance output problems, for instance, poor-quality
work pattern, problem of work attendance or interaction issues with employees Secondly,
employees admission that they have alcohol intake problems and that they require assistance.
Thirdly, coworkers may confirm that a particular individual has an alcohol intake problem.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
This is the main prevalent intervention utilized in addressing alcohol problems. The
EAPs possess varying features, which set them apart from prevention strategies utilized in other
settings (Safework, 2010). The objective of EAPs prevents employment loss as well as assuring
employed individuals the continuity of their careers. EAPS thus prevent the dire consequences
brought about by the employee’s job loss. The EAPs are implemented in a number of ways
through referrals.
EAP Referral Routes
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Within the initial development stages of the EAP, researchers have proposed that it would
be ideal to primarily attract self-referrals. Significant levels of referrals would boost the
program’s credibility through demonstration of consumer confidence (Roman & Blum, 2014).
Researches where EAPS have been implemented indicate self-referrals numbers were rising day
by day. Employees joint the EAP program due to the fact that it is provided by the employer,
they are assured of confidentiality and it extends professional help (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012).
Informal referrals: this route is prompted through significant social interaction between employer
and employee. About 80 percent of referrals are usually takes this route (Hseni, 2009). Though
originally EAPS were developed to take the route of formal referrals, informal referral is mainly
preferred by employers as well as employees. Its only limitation is the absence of official records
of a staff’s EAP referral. Formal referrals: this route is taken when external intervention is
needed. Such referrals are usually initiated by supervisors following a detection of deteriorating
job performance which may not be explained by the work conditions. Employers are required to
contact EAP staff prior to taking any action to ensure conformity of workplace rules (Roman &
Blum, 2014). The supervisor is supposed to first confront the employee demanding an
explanation along with presenting evidence poor work performance to the staff. If the employee
fails to change then they are referred to the EAP.
EAP’s role in Relapse Prevention and Follow Up
Relapse prevention comprises of diverse range of interventions. Relapse is regarded as a
kind of primary prevention strategy (Hseni, 2009). EAPs as well as workplaces occupy a very
important function in relapse prevention. The opportunities for relapse prevention rely on the
work nature in addition to accessibility for staffs who are attempting to maintain recovery
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(Roman & Blum, 2014). Follow up within the workplace since the employees progress is easily
observable due to the fact that the report to work on a daily basis or regularly.
Complements to EAPs
Research has indicated that a majority of the employed individuals drink heavily when
they are out of work. This leads to varying adverse consequences and problems. Among these
problems are hangovers. Recent studies have showed that hangovers possess huge effects on
work performance (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). Hangovers impact cognitive as well as motor
functions developing risks of negative judgment, injuries in addition to interpersonal conflict.
Thus, employers have legitimate reasons for motivating workers to change their alcohol drinking
patterns indefinitely due to its effect. The following programs are the complements to EAPs.
Alcohol Education Programs: this method form the principal way of addressing staffs’ out of job
drinking (Roman & Blum, 2014). These programs are carried out within the workplace. These
programs are normally linked to the EAP or a health promotion plan or both. The objective of the
alcohol education program is usually encouraging behavioral change.
Health Promotion Program motivates staffs to adjust their drinking tendencies. Once
health issues such as high blood pressure, gastric problems or weight are located during health
risk survey undertaken within the workplace, the health worker in charge could suggest a
decrease in drinking alcohol as a method preventing the primary symptoms (Roman & Blum,
2014). Peer intervention: employee alcohol education can train peers to extend assistance
towards one another. The peer intervention programs may be greatly useful for countering the
early behavioral problems (Safework, 2010). Though it is not applicable in all settings, peer
intervention is an additional complement of EAPs.
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Risk Factors within the Workplace Environment
Research has examined a number of work-related factors, which may contribute to the
alcohol taking problem (Roman & Blum, 2014). In addition to EAPs and its complements
employers require to also look at the following elements. Stress: studies have indicated
considerable association amongst work place stress and heightened alcohol consumption levels.
Employers could alleviate this by enhancing job satisfaction (Hseni, 2009). Alienation:
alienation from work by employees has strongly been linked to alcohol taking tendencies.
Worker alienation may be reduced through participative management
Conclusion
Alcohol problems are constantly impacting negatively on workplaces through reducing
worker output as well as performance. The employers have a duty to adopt programs such as
EAPs in addition to other supplements to eradicate alcohol usage. Employers possess a duty to
transform the lives of their workers to enable them live fruitful lives. Additionally, as indicated
earlier terminating workers’ jobs is never a solution to dealing with alcohol problems. It is only
through improvement of workplace environment that the drinking problem may be eliminated.
The primary prevention programs are the mainly useful in workplaces as such employers require
to alleviate drinking problems way before they take place. Primary prevention programs are
usually very cost effective and mainly impactful.
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References
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012), Organizational behavior (1.1 ed.). Nyack,
NY: Flat World Knowledge.
Dronet. (1999). Workplace drug and alcohol abuse prevention programmes.
