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Last Friday a friend of mine told me she was going for drinks after work with some of her colleagues. “I don’t really want to”, she said, “but I’ve been getting the impression that they think I’m not a team player.”
You could have knocked me over with a feather – I thought the days of being expected to attend work drinks were done and dusted.
And thus, what began as a couple of beers after work turned in beer, gin and cocktails and a night spent on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor.
Is this what it takes to be a team player?
I’ve long had issues with work drinks. People feel pressured to attend when they’d rather spend the evening with their loved ones. It creates a culture of the in crowd and the out crowd – with the in crowd being privy to information and opportunities because they were there when their manager had one too many. I remember missing out on a place at a conference to a colleague, because she caught my boss at the right time – ie – drunk. And it forces people to drink in a way they might usually not – not everyone drinks, and if they do, they might not like to drink at 5pm on a Friday.
Alcohol is Australia’s second highest cause of preventable death and illness. Australian workplaces are particularly vulnerable to alcohol-related problems – an estimated $3.6billion in productivity is lost every year because of alcohol misuse.
What if my friend had decided to drink and drive last Friday? What if something untoward had happened to her while she made her way home through the city?
Many people drink in a way that places themselves, and others, at risk of harm - and this can have a huge impact on the workplace. Workplaces need to create a culture that encourages responsible alcohol consumption at work related events.
Have you had any not so good experiences with drinking and your workplace? We’d love to hear from you. Email CAAN@adf.org.au
Until next week,
Sarah Jaggard
Community Mobilisation Policy Officer
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