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Financial headache: the cost of workplace hangovers and intoxication to the UK economy

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  • Alcohol-related presenteeism occurs when people are less productive than usual at work as a result of their drinking. This is often due to working while intoxicated or hungover
  • Though alcohol-related presenteeism is believed to be a significant drag on the British economy, there is a lack of reliable evidence on the issue, and presenteeism is not included in the UK Government’s estimate of the economic cost of alcohol
  • We surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,400 British workers about how their work had been affected both by their own drinking and the drinking of others
  • We found that 42% had ever gone to work hungover or under the influence of alcohol, and 9% had done so in the last six months
  • On average, these workers rated their performance at work to be 39% less effective than usual
  • This implies that people working whilst hungover or under the influence of alcohol costs the UK economy between £1.2 billion and £1.4 billion a year

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