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Can you drink on the job?

Can you drink on the job?

Yes, there are benefits. Obviously not every industry can allow alcohol at work. (Drivers, medical personnel, and operators of heavy machinery should wait until they’re off the clock for a beer or glass of wine.) By allowing alcohol at work, employers show employees that they trust them to consume responsibly.

Why do I get drunk so quickly?

Alcohol is mostly broken down by the liver, but some metabolizes in the brain — which is why we get drunk. CYP2E1 carries instructions for the enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the brain, telling it to work faster. That makes people feel drunk faster.

What happens when employees drink at holiday party?

When drinking is on the rise, inhibitions are lowered. Perhaps that’s why the company holiday party seems to feature heavily in many workplace harassment claims. Unwanted sexual attention and comments are all too common when employees and alcohol mix, which can result in sexual harassment claims against your company.

Why are some employees drinking on the job?

One employee is having big financial problems which are affecting his marriage.  The other just recently got divorced and is all excited because she just qualified for a loan for a new house.  I figure that I’ll have my How To book done in the next 4-6 weeks, which is probably about the time she’ll be closing on that new house.

Is it against the law to drink on the job?

Drinking on the job is such a major violation of trust and good sense that you really aren’t responsible for the impact getting fired has on their lives. People who want job security don’t sneak drinks on the job.

Is it safe to drink alcohol at work?

Up until recently, conventional wisdom dictated that drinking at work probably wasn’t a winning strategy. This went for both employees and their employers. For the buttoned-up, paternal corporate cultures of the 1980s and 90s, alcohol was too risky a proposition, a potential HR minefield where the scant benefits rarely outweigh potential costs.

Is it illegal for an employee to drink at work?

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an alcoholic is a person with a disability and is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) if he or she is qualified to perform the essential functions of a job. In such instances, an employer may be required to provide an accommodation to the individual.

What can HR do about employees drinking on the job?

In recent days, the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) HR Knowledge Center received an unusual number of inquiries about how to handle workers inebriated on the job.

When drinking is on the rise, inhibitions are lowered. Perhaps that’s why the company holiday party seems to feature heavily in many workplace harassment claims. Unwanted sexual attention and comments are all too common when employees and alcohol mix, which can result in sexual harassment claims against your company.

What happens if an employee is drunk on the job?

Shea said employers may want to consider extenuating circumstances if a worker is drunk on the job. “Bereavement could certainly be an extenuating circumstance, as could a divorce or a child custody proceeding,” she said.