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1. Peer Expectations Influence Workplace Alcohol Use
We know that children and
teenagers experience peer
pressure and end up doing
things they would not
otherwise. We also like to think
that they outgrow the
propensity to succumb to peer
expectations as adults, unless
it is to their advantage.
Unfortunately, that is not true.
Peer pressure often drives
adult human behaviour as
much as it does youthful
actions because most people
want to cooperate and feel
accepted.
A good example is the
expectation that Australians drink, and that has created a drinking culture
noticeable on holidays, during social occasions, at office parties, during impromptu
after-work gatherings, on weekends, and after work. People who do not drink during
these times are often viewed as being uncooperative, unfriendly or judgemental,
and that is a consequence of living in drinking culture. One out of five Australians
indulge in short-term high-risk drinking or binge drinking and 72.6% drink regularly,
reflecting a culture driven by customs, habits, norms, images, easy availability,
marketing, and so on.1
It is impossible to cleanly separate the social environment from the workplace
culture. People develop attitudes towards alcohol in their personal lives and
subsequently carry those attitudes into the workplace. The workplace culture then
influences whether an employee’s social attitude towards alcohol leads to alcohol
consumption in the workplace or at work-related events. In Australia, drinking is
more than just accepted. It is a cultural practice, meaning it pervades people’s
lives. From that perspective, the workplace setting is a component of the larger
culture, so having an impact on drinking behaviours must take into account what
factors influence alcohol consumption outside the workplace.
Overlapping Cultures
It is not the employer’s responsibility or right to know what workers are doing when
they are not working. The labour groups have vigorously fought for the right to
privacy, requiring judicious use of drug and alcohol testing. However, workplaces
are microcosms of the broader culture, and as such they are viewed as subcultures
that either promote or discourage drinking. Though the workplace culture is
separate from the broader community culture, they overlap in areas of personal
values, behaviours and norms. They also overlap in that workers frequently become

2. friends and share leisure activities together that include drinking. There are many
familiar examples of how the subculture expresses itself. 2
• Workers feel pressured to join in end-of-the-week drinking events, even if
they do not normally drink
• Laissez-faire management attitude towards drinking in the workplace despite
strong policies and procedures
• Workers as a group support alcohol consumption outside the workplace as a
way to cope with workplace stress
• Workers show tolerance for co-workers drinking at the workplace
• Drinking together as a workgroup is seen as a sign of social solidarity
• Work related celebrations and events (promotions, retirements, office parties,
conferences, business lunches, etc.) always include alcohol consumption
Management has a major influence on how the workplace culture develops.
Management practices can have the effect of promoting an alcohol tolerant
workplace culture, even if that is not the intent. For example, managers that
overlook drinking incidents because meeting production quotas is viewed as more
important is sending a message of tolerance. It also sends a message that the
manager cares less about workplace safety than about profit. Managers who fail to
develop formal drug and alcohol policies and do not institute random drug and
alcohol testing programs are promoting the continuation of the workplace culture
that supports drinking. Companies that hold office parties at pubs or make alcohol
available at office holiday parties are promoting alcohol consumption as an
acceptable worker practice. This is often where the workplace subculture and the
broader community culture collide because parties held off-site are viewed as
personal, but the attendance of workers and managers serves to solidify a
workplace culture of alcohol acceptance.
Changing Peer Expectations
Changing a workplace drinking subculture first requires management recognition
that it even exists. There must be formal drug and alcohol policies and procedures
and a random testing program initiated. However, these actions must be supported
by education and training, elimination of alcohol at work related events, and zero
tolerance for workplace alcohol consumption. Managers and supervisors should not
join staff members at end-of-the-week drinking sessions or pay for alcohol at
business luncheons. Anything the management does to support alcohol
consumption contributes to workplace drinking subculture. Through education and
training, peer expectations can change and that can relieve peer pressure to drink
when the consequences are fully understood. In other words, the goal is to create a
culture in which peer expectations are that drinking is not going to occur.
The reality is that employers are not interested in worker habits related to their
personal lives, unless alcohol or drug use during off-time impacts the ability to
safely complete work duties. Ideally, workers will recognise when their own safety
or the safety of others is jeopardised by personal drug or alcohol use or use by co-
workers and will report to the employer before someone is harmed. That will not
happen unless the workplace subculture is intolerant of the risks presented by

3. worker alcohol consumption and workers know the employer will be supportive as
they exercise their duty of care.3
Mediscreen at mediscreen.net.au/ can conduct drug screening 24-7 and services are
suitable for all industries and locations throughout Australia. Screenings play an
integral role in promoting a zero tolerance workplace culture.
This article has been taken from http://mediscreen.net.au/articles/?p=2070