Drinking on a Work Night: a Comparison of Day and Person-Level Associations with Workplace Outcomes

Alcohol use and misuse is costly for U.S. employers, primarily due to health care expenses and lost work productivity. Despite high costs for organizations, employee alcohol use is understudied within the organizational literature. The scant research conducted largely utilized cross-sectional designs examining differences across individuals, despite prevailing theoretical frameworks describing primarily within-person processes. This study examined the simultaneous within-person and between-person relationships between employee alcohol use and work and well-being outcomes. The separation and comparison of within-person and between-person effects is essential for the evaluation of key theoretical frameworks around employee alcohol use. Additionally, this study investigates one mechanism (i.e., sleep quality) that may help to explain how drinking links to work and well-being outcomes. Data was collected from separated post 9/11 service members and active reservists working in the civilian workforce via an internet-based survey completed in the evening over 32 consecutive days. Results indicated that within this sample of more moderate drinkers, between-person estimates were better predictors of the examined outcomes. Specifically, individuals who drank more in general tended to perceive higher levels of self-control demands and sleep less well. Additionally, between-person drinking was indirectly related to work performance, creativity, and perceived self-control demands through poor sleep quality across individuals. Examinations of the work and nonwork factors associated with work and DRINKING ON A WORK NIGHT ii well-being outcomes help identify risk factors that hinder employee success and provide insights into which intervention efforts may be most impactful. DRINKING ON A WORK NIGHT iii Dedication For my sister, in memoriam. DRINKING ON A WORK NIGHT iv Acknowledgements I would first like to acknowledge my committee, Drs. Charlotte Fritz, Cynthia Mohr, Todd Bodner, and Wayne Wakeland for their support and feedback throughout this process. I have been truly fortunate to have been dual advised by two esteemed researchers (Charlotte and Cynthia) whose expertise so magnificently overlapped with my research interests. I would also like acknowledge Dr. Leslie Hammer, for the all of the opportunities she provided over the years; these experiences have been invaluable. Thank you to the SERVe team, whose efforts collecting and cleaning the data made this project run so much smoother. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Luke Mahoney, for his assistance working through how to approach the analyses. To my cohort, labmates, and other graduate colleagues, thank you for continually showing up in support of my work, in academic pursuits and in life. You inspire me every day to keep the bigger purpose in mind and work to be a real force for positive social change. To my parents and their partners, thank you for instilling in me at such a young age a love for reading and a thirst for knowledge. I do not believe I would have developed into the thinker and writer I have become had I not had the opportunity to spend so much of my childhood outside with my books and ideas. Your unwavering love and support make all the difference each and every day. Thank you to Angelena and Patrick Marx, who took me in and provided me the physical and mental space I needed to get through the final stages of this work. I will be eternally thankful for your love and acceptance of me as I was, during a time I needed it most. DRINKING ON A WORK NIGHT v To Alex Egan, thank you for demonstrating that absolutely anything is achievable if you can break down your own mental barriers. Your perspective has shaped how I approach both research and life. To Jessica Ricketts, thank you for being a shining example of what it means to strive for the best version of yourself every day. You encourage me to challenge myself, but always with supportive encouragement, taking my weight when I need to come off the wall and reconsider the best route forward. To Tobin Masterson-Miller, thank you for always being there. Your willingness to always show up for the people you love is inspiring, the many little things you have done for me over the years lightened my load and made it possible for me to focus on bigger things. To my colleagues, Christopher Rotolo, Christina Fleck, Vanessa Gaskins, Sara McKersie, and Roza Jankovic, thank you for helping me see the real value and impact of the work we do as Industrial-Organizational Psychologists. You all exemplify the Scientist-Practitioner model and working with you transformed my perceptions of how to really embody meaningful, purposeful work. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the U.S. Veterans and their families nationwide and abroad. Thank you for your sacrifice and service, and for allowing us this glimpse into your everyday lives and experiences. DRINKING ON A WORK NIGHT vi Table of