An alarming 76 per cent of employees are coming back to work drunk after taking a "liquid lunch", according to a new survey carried out by Peninsula employment law constancy. The results show that an increasing number of employees are consuming alcohol during their lunch break - a trend that could harm the reputation and productivity of a business.

Out of the 1342 employees polled, 68 per cent said they enjoyed alcoholic beverages during lunch, the same percentage of those polled who said they found it hard to relax after their break unless they'd had a tipple.

Peninsula is warning businesses of the detrimental effects that liquid lunches can have, especially when employees have to talk to important clients and customers. Penisula MD Peter Done said: "Liquid lunches are often associated with executives with their glass of red wine while discussing the future of their business in a conservative fashion. But in reality the idea of a liquid lunch could prove to be very damaging to businesses and potentially very dangerous, depending on the type of business that is in operation."

Even more worrying is that a third of respondents (33 per cent) claimed to enjoy a liquid lunch three times a week with 76 per cent feeling slightly drunk when returning to work. "A company’s policies must be stated to all employees to ensure that the rules are not broken when it comes to alcohol," Done concluded.

Copyright © 2004,

Related stories

Hangovers give UK biz a headache
IT company gives workers free beer - wins award
Gasping for a pint? Text GOODPUB