Read smarter: alcohol in the workplace

This month you don't drink and you appear fresh and fruity at work every day. But tell me, have you ever turned up at work with a hangover? What about drinking in your spare time and performing at work the next day? You can read more about it in this article.

The glass kept getting full and it got later and later. The next morning you have to pay for this with an old-fashioned hangover. As a result, you start your working day more tired. You may also have more difficulty concentrating and completing your work in the usual time and according to your usual standards. People who drink excessively more often also mention memory problems, making more mistakes, being late more often, regular absenteeism and complaints from colleagues as work-related complaints. The stress this causes can cause people to drink more in the evening to relax. In that case, drinking alcohol can become a negative spiral. Source: alcoholcontrol.nl.

Reason for dismissal?

Showing up at work with a hangover is of course no reason for dismissal. It will be a very long day for you at most. It is a different story if your alcohol consumption in private time does affect the work you have to do. In fact, you risk being fired if your alcohol use (alcohol abuse) has a structural negative effect on functioning. Drinking alcohol in itself can therefore not be a reason to be fired, the reason is always your functioning.

Alcohol test at work

When a supervisor suspects that an employee has an alcohol problem, he or she can check whether an employee has consumed alcohol via a bladder or blood test. Such an alcohol test can be regarded as a medical procedure and may only take place with the employee's permission. As an employee, you are therefore not obliged to cooperate. The alcohol test also does not provide a definitive answer about alcohol consumption before or during working hours. Source: alcoholinfo.nl.