One in 10 workers plan to drink on Paddy’s Day…
The latest insight from The Global Payroll Association (GPA), reveals that one in ten people see St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to hit the drink but that, more broadly speaking, workplace drinking culture has declined dramatically.
With St. Patrick’s Day upon us -this coming Monday, March 17th, a survey of 1,000 office workers, commissioned by GPA, reveals that one in ten see the annual celebration of Ireland’s patron saint as an excuse to drink, but in terms of our nation’s more general attitudes towards alcohol within the context of work, it appears that the longstanding workplace drinking culture is well and truly dead.
While a quarter (25%) of the office workers surveyed do say that alcohol remains an integral part of modern workplace culture, only 6% say they regularly drink during work hours when, for example, having lunch with a client, while even fewer (2%) will often drink during their lunch break.
However, on the occasions when work-related activities stretch beyond the formal working day, we are more likely to allow ourselves a drink, with 28% saying they’ll take a drink when, for example, attending a client dinner. However, for the vast majority of people (94%), this will occur just once a week at most.
Despite common perceptions that alcohol forms a central part of social culture in the UK, only 14% of office workers say booze is important when it comes to forming bonds with colleagues and clients, although around one in ten (9%) say they do feel pressured to drink during work-related events.
Melanie Pizzey, CEO and Founder of the Global Payroll Association:
“Across the UK, St. Patrick’s Day has often been seen as a good excuse to finish work early and head to the pub for boozed-based celebrations. But overall, the ties between work and drink are weaker now than they have ever been, a trend driven by the fact that the relationship younger generations have with alcohol is much different to those who came before them.
“While regular drinking sessions were once seen as an integral part of workplace camaraderie, from bonding with colleagues to schmoozing with clients, times have most certainly changed. The most beneficial outcome of this is a huge reduction in the peer pressure that people feel obliges them to partake in heavy drinking. Anyone who still wishes to have a drink can do so, but those who would rather not may finally feel comfortable to decline, whilst the rise in non-alcoholic imitations has also provided an additional option.
“This can be seen as an important and positive signifier that the workplace is becoming more inclusive, more accepting of people’s personal lifestyle preferences, and altogether more open-minded.”
