Workplace Culture and AOD Use

The overall culture of a workplace can play a crucial role in determining the alcohol and drug related behaviours and attitudes of individual workers.

A workplace culture approach to AOD issues recognises that:

• workplace factors (e.g., working conditions, levels of supervision, availability of alcohol or drugs, workplace policies)
• individual factors (eg., workers' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours concerning alcohol or drug use)
• organisational factors (e.g., procedures and practices, health and safety climate, industrial relations climate) can interact to determine the alcohol and drug culture of a workplace.

The alcohol and drug culture of a workplace may then influence employee alcohol and drug behaviours and attitudes. 

The cultural approach has implications for policy and practice. The same processes that lead to the development of alcohol- or drug-related norms can be used to develop ways to reduce or prevent alcohol-related risk. By creating workplace norms that promote low-risk drinking and non-drug use, the harms which impact the workplace and employees may be reduced. 

NCETA Publications

For further information on workplace culture and AOD use see:

Pidd, K., Roche, A.M., Fischer, J., & McCarthy, C. (2014). Risky behaviours, risky work settings: The alcohol and drug consumption patterns, health and wellbeing of commercial cookery trainees. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 30(2), 293-302.

Lee, N., Roche, A.M., Duraisingam, V., Fischer, J., Cameron, J., & Pidd, K. (2014). A systematic review of alcohol interventions among workers in male-dominated industries. Journal of Men's Health, 11(2), 1-11.

Roche, A., Pidd, K., & Kostadinov, V. (2014). Trainee chefs' experiences of stress, bullying and coping in commercial kitchens. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 30(2), 259-269.

Pidd, K & Roche, A. M. (2008). Changing workplace cultures: an integrated model for the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related problems. In D. Moore & P. Dietze (Eds.), Drugs and Public Health: Australian Perspectives on Policy and Practice, Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Pidd, K., & Roche, A.M. (2013). Hospitality Training Is No Piece Of Cake! Hospitality Industry Trainees' Well-being And Alcohol And Drug Use: First Years’ Experiences And Responses. Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University (pdf 635 KB).

Roche, A.M., Fischer, J., Pidd, K., Lee, N., Battams, S., & Nicholas, R. (2012). Workplace mental illness and substance use disorders in male-dominated industries: A systematic literature review. Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University.

Pidd, K., Berry, J. G., Harrison, J. E., Roche, A. M., Driscoll, T. R., & Newson, R. S. (2006). Alcohol and work: Patterns of use, workplace culture and workplace safety. Injury Research and Statistics Series Number 28 (AIHW cat. No. INJCAT 82) Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (pdf 1.4MB).

Allsop, S. & Pidd, K. (2001). The nature of drug related harm in the workplace. In S. Allsop, M. Phillips & C. Calogero, (Eds.), Drugs and Work: Responding to drug related harm in the workplace, IP Communications, Melbourne.