More companies take action to curb drinking & driving during holiday

Company holiday parties appear to be making a comeback. But along with the frivolity has come increasing attention to the issue of drinking and driving in the name of company fun.

According to a national survey by Battalia Winston International, a New York-based executive search firm with regional offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, a majority of companies -- 62 percent -- are taking some kind of action to prevent drinking and driving.

In its survey of 100 companies, Battalia Winston found that 22 percent of companies giving parties completely banned alcohol. Nine percent provided transportation, such as a company bus, or taxi vouchers, or provided hotel rooms to prevent inebriated guests from hitting the road. Another 12 percent used educational memos or placed reminder signs on tables to warn employees of the dangers of driving while intoxicated. About 4 percent were setting up car pools with designated drivers. "It's not a social issue," said Dale Winston, chairman of Winston Battalia. "It's a legal one." Companies are increasingly aware of the liability they incur when alcohol and employees mix, she said. "They are highly sensitive to the litigious world in which we live." In the Seattle area, companies have different tactics for ensuring employee safety. Immunex, which is having a companywide function at Seattle Center this week, is supplying cab slips to anyone who needs them, "no names taken, no questions asked," said spokesman Tim Warner. The security guards, who are off-duty Seattle police officers, and bartenders working at the function are trained to issue cab slips if they think a person shouldn't be driving. At Boeing, which leaves company celebrations up to individual work groups, the policy is straightforward. "There is no alcohol allowed on the premises whatsoever," spokesman Peter Conte said. The company also asks employees to try to keep their celebrations low-key and on their lunch hours, he said. Years ago, the company rented the Kingdome for its annual holiday event, "But we no longer do that," he said. "We're too large and too dispersed." Most groups have a potluck celebration at the end of the last working day before the annual company shutdown, he said. Nordstrom also has a no-alcohol policy. It sponsors holiday "family nights" that are alcohol-free, said spokesman John Bailey. The company holds the family nights in its stores, which are closed for the occasion, so employees can do some private shopping. The company provides food and crafts for children. Seafirst takes a different approach. It leaves celebrations up to individual divisions, but alcohol is allowed "in moderation" at some events, spokeswoman Shari Pollock said. "We do not encourage functions to include alcohol," she said. But there are occasional exceptions where a glass of wine would be served with a meal. The company circulated a memo highlighting the policy, which has been in effect for many years, to employees just ahead of the holiday party season. At Microsoft, where employees handle their own celebrations, individual managers are keenly aware of their responsibility to make sure employees don't drive after they've been drinking, a Microsoft spokesman said. Despite the attention to the issue of drinking and driving, more companies than ever are having parties, Winston said. "There's been a big turnaround from the early `90s." Ninety-seven percent of companies said they were planning some kind of holiday celebration, the same number as last year, but a jump from 89 percent in 1995. Most of the events -- 60 percent -- were planned for the evening, down slightly from 1995, when 62 percent were evening affairs. About 23 percent of companies said they planned more lavish affairs than last year, and 10 percent said they planned more modest events. Companies may be planning bigger events, but more are also asking employees to share the costs. Thirteen percent of companies said employees were asked to chip in, up from 6 percent the previous year. About 17 percent said employees had to foot the entire bill, compared with 6 percent last year. Company parties serve many purposes, from giving people a breather from their responsibilities to creating a "bonding opportunity" for work teams, Winston said. "Business is healthy," she said. "There is a need to celebrate success."

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