Are Your Workplace Alcohol and Other Drug Policies Evidence Based?

At 360Edge's?WorkWell?program we are all about keeping people safe, healthy and productive in the workplace.?We understand the complex interaction between alcohol and other drug use and related issues, like mental health, stress and fatigue.

Our team has more than 30 years’ experience working with alcohol and other drug issues and are leaders in Australia in this area. Find out more about our team?here.

The need

Alcohol and other drug use accounts for nearly 20 per cent of lost productivity costs in Australia and costs in excess of $4.5 billion per year. The annual cost of alcohol-related absenteeism alone is estimated to be at least $500m.

Up to 15 per cent of all non-fatal workplace accidents and up to five per cent of all workplace deaths in Australia have been associated with alcohol use. We use our extensive expertise and experience in alcohol and other drug responses to provide practical, simple, effective and sustainable solutions to the complex issue of workplace health and safety.

Our goals

It’s a shared responsibility. Absenteeism and presenteeism (being at work but not being productive), costs Australian workplaces $7 billion and $26 billion respectively every year. Nearly 20% of this is directly attributable to alcohol and other drug use, including taking a day off after a big night out (absenteeism) and coming to work with a hangover (presenteeism). And it is not just those with severe alcohol or drug problems. Infrequent and occasional risky drinkers account for more than 50% of these figures.

At 360Edge, we understand alcohol and other drugs in the workplace. We understand the complex interaction between alcohol and other drug use and other risks like mental health, stress and fatigue. We understand motivation and behaviour change. So we can help you find the very best solutions for your workplace.

We guide and advise you from policy development to implementation and evaluation to improve productivity, inclusion and safety.

Every three years, the Australian government collects information about drinking and drug use from a cross-section of more than 20,000 Australians.

In 2019,?nearly 80 per cent?of people surveyed had at least one drink of?alcohol in the past year; and about 16 per cent had used a drug for non-prescribed purposes, with cannabis the most commonly used illegal drug.

About 25 per cent of people drank at least once a month at levels that put them at risk of accident or injury (more than four standard drinks in a session).

Mental health conditions and drug and alcohol problems are the leading causes of productivity loss and time off work according to?a report?published in the Journal of Occupation and Environmental Medicine.

This study assessed data from a survey of 78,000 Australian workers and found that ‘psychological distress’ and self-reported drug and alcohol problems have a greater negative impact on absenteeism and presenteeism than chronic health conditions such as workplace injury, cancer, arthritis, obesity, back and neck pain, and asthma.

Contact us

We would love to connect with you and provide and free and confidential discussion about the needs of your organisation, or answer any questions you might have about what we offer.

We are keen to provide your workers and senior leaders with tailored support that will help to keep them healthy and productive.

Email: [email protected]