This is the industry where workers drink the most
By Meredith Lepore
January 29, 2019
According to a new survey of 1,010 full-time U.S. workers, these are the top five industries that allow or sponsor alcohol consumption the most.
Even though many people have stuck to their Dry January pledge, the month is almost over which means happy hours after work will soon be in full swing. Now though we are way past the days of Mad Men-level in-office drinking, there are still certain industries that are more in support of their employees drinking at work.
According to a new survey from Niznik Behavioral Health of 1,010 full-time U.S. workers the top 5 industries that allow or sponsor alcohol consumption the most are these:
- Technology
- Construction
- Marketing
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
- Information Services and Data Processing
Not a team player?
Holiday parties open bars and the occasional paid for happy hour are common but at companies including GitHub and Yelp have beer on tap. Kara Sowles, an employee of tech company Puppet, told Wired, “In the tech industry, alcohol is currency.” It is often used to reward employees for performances, which seems a bit unfair to non-drinking employees. Over a third of those surveyed said they abstain from alcohol at company events.
But it isn’t just tech. Many companies look at alcohol as a way to bond their employees. After all, it is a social lubricant. The survey found that 24% of respondents said drinks were part of team bonding events. Those who worked at government were the biggest group to report alcohol being part of team bonding activities. Nearly 50% of respondents agreed that drinking with their boss or coworkers will improve their relationship and 23.8% believed that drinking with their boss could lead to better job opportunities.
Sober curious
And unfortunately, if you skip these events because you don’t want to drink, 45% agreed they could be viewed as a non-team player by their boss.
But it seems that even those who enjoy drinking would be up for alternative dry company activities. Of the group of workers who like drinking at work events, 30% said they would trade drinking events for sponsored lunches, massages, fitness training, and permission to bring pets to work.