Wellness management ‘addresses lunchtime drinking’

A review of Rochdale council’s health and wellbeing strategy has resulted in the possibility of drinking alcohol to be banned during working hours, it has been reported.

The council’s health improvement manager Adrian Watson is carrying out the review, which revealed that the local authority does not have an alcohol policy in place, the Rochdale Observer said.

Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Watson discussed his wellness management tactics and said he hoped to reduce staff sickness levels in an overhaul of the strategy.

"We are looking at the council’s alcohol policy in terms of its own staff and its own venue," he stated.

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However, councillor Robin Parker said he was surprised that there was no substantial alcohol policy and that he thought lunchtime drinking would be against conditions of employment for the local authority’s workers.

Mr Watson also revealed he was worried about the increasing levels of stress-related absence.

A recent survey by Aon Consulting found that almost two-thirds of firms have no plans to alter their absence benefits or sickness strategies.