Drunk at Work

More than one in ten employees have been drunk at work and almost one in three has worked with a hangover, risking their own and colleagues' health and safety, a new poll reveals.

Those who had been to work feeling worse for wear admit that they made mistakes, did as little as possible, went home early or struggled to concentrate.

More than three-quarters of employers said alcohol is the number one threat to employee well-being as well as encouraging sickness absence.

The poll of 1,000 people and 250 businesses found 32% of employees had been to work with a hangover and 15% had been drunk at work.

One in 10 workers admitted this happened at least once a month and one in 20 said it was once a week, the Norwich Union Healthcare poll found.

A clear majority (85%) of those who went to work on hangovers or had been drunk at work said it affected their performance or mood.

More than a third (36%) found it hard to concentrate, 35% were less productive, 42% felt tired to the point of being sleepy, 25% did the minimum amount of work and went home as soon as possible and almost one in 10 made lots of mistakes.

People working in media and creative jobs were the worst culprits, with 41% admitting they have been to work while still drunk but a quarter (24%) of those in construction have done the same.

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