Campaign Aims to Reduce Alcohol-Related Time Off Work for Kiwis

A local charitable initiative to raise funds for cancer patients may help reduce the 350,000 work days lost due to hangovers and alcohol-related absences every year in New Zealand, as part of its annual campaign.

Thousands of Kiwis admitting to taking multiple days off every year as a result of their alcohol use, according to figures from the NZ Health Promotion Agency.

Dry July NZ Country Manager Scott Savidge says it could make a big difference to productivity and attendance for corporates and businesses to encourage an alcohol-free month.

“We at Dry July aren’t experts on alcohol abuse, we focus on raising funds for cancer patients, but the experts do agree there are significant problems caused by alcohol in the workplace, so a commitment from companies to support staff taking part could have a positive impact,” says Savidge.

Figures show one in 10 adults admit to working while feeling under the influence of alcohol at least once in the previous year, which could affect workplace safety, judgement and performance.

“Some industries are associated with heavier drinking than others, particularly those that are male dominated and sales based, trade based industries such as mining, agriculture and construction, and financial services,” says Savidge.

In light of the figures, Savidge says Dry July is this year calling on local businesses to embrace an alcohol-free culture for a month to raise funds for cancer patients and their loved ones, while also reaping the benefits for their teams and office environments.

“Dry July is a great opportunity for businesses to replace after-work drinks with some fun team challenges to raise funds for those who need it, while promoting wellbeing and alcohol awareness to staff in a positive way,” says Savidge.

Companies are encouraged to use the month to reinforce organisational values and work as a team to complete the challenge. “Businesses could hold a competition to create the tastiest mocktail, or a team challenge to attempt to break a world record, or even issue a challenge to a competitor company to take part,” says Savidge.

“Or you could get an expert in to talk about stress management, nutrition or building resilience to offer your team some valuable practical advice that relates directly to the challenge. Who knows, businesses might even see a rise in productivity for the month!”

Dry July is back for the fourth year in New Zealand and is already open for sign-ups. Last year, those who ditched the booze raised over $744,000 for three beneficiary cancer services around the country to improve the wellbeing of adult cancer patients and their loved ones.

“We’re excited it’s almost time to go booze-free again – you don’t often get the chance to raise money for charity by not doing something,” says Savidge.

“Dry July is a challenge of determination, which also gives you the opportunity to examine your own drinking patterns and appreciate the value of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.”

Dry July improves the wellbeing of adult cancer patients by providing funds to create better services and environments for them and their families. In the seven Dry July campaigns to-date, 90,000+ participants have collectively raised over $20m, helping support 40 different cancer services across New Zealand and Australia.