ALCOHOL EXPECTANCIES AND WORKPLACE DRINKING

The relationship between alcohol expectancies and work-related drinkin g was investigated in a survey of 984 employees from a large unionized manufacturing plant. Respondents were asked about their drinking at w ork, just prior to work, and in other contexts. Alcohol expectancies w ere measured by asking how likely or unlikely it was that work-related drinking would lead to 13 personal consequences. The items for this s cale were derived from ethnographic interviews and observations in the plant and from a review of the workplace literature. Exploratory fact or analysis indicated that the expectancy items formed two scales repr esenting positive and negative consequences. These scales predicted wo rk-related drinking in a simultaneous equations path analysis, even wh en general drinking practices and background variables were controlled . The analysis also indicated that workers who were younger, Caucasian , hourly, on evening or night shifts, and frequent or heavy drinkers o utside of work may be at risk for work-related drinking because of the ir alcohol expectancies.