Recruiting under the influence: New labor market entrants' reactions to workplace drinking norms

Abstract

Prior research indicates that the influence of alcohol use, at work or at home, on employees' personal and professional lives is often harmless, but that it can be detrimental under certain circumstances. Alcohol's prevalence in and around some workplaces suggests that some employees value it, and that companies seeking to hire and retain these employees perhaps see a competitive advantage in embracing permissive workplace drinking norms. In this article, we draw from signaling theory and the fit, applicant attraction, and political skill literatures, to propose that during the recruitment process, organizations that promote workplace drinking norms are likely to attract applicants with high levels of political skill while turning off those with low levels of political skill. We conducted two studies and found that new labor market entrants with lower levels of political skill perceived lower levels of fit with companies that promote the acceptance of alcohol use at work‐related events during the recruitment process compared to companies that do not signal the presence of workplace drinking norms in their recruitment activities. In turn, these lower fit perceptions related to reduced organizational attraction.

The effects of mentor alcohol use norms on mentorship quality: The moderating role of protégé traditionality

“…As a result, it attracts certain types of employee but excludes others. Research has posited that the impact of alcohol use at work is often harmless, but can be harmful under certain circumstances (Klotz & da Motta Veiga, 2018). This study proposes that mentor alcohol use norms are detrimental in a Chinese mentoring setting.…”

“…In addition, managerial and professional employees are often encouraged to attend gatherings for drinks with people from work (Forret & Dougherty, 2001). Organizations that promote workplace drinking tend to hire and retain employees who are less likely to regard the pressure to drink as a threat to their fit with the organization (Klotz & da Motta Veiga, 2018). In China, one of the oldest brewing nations, drinking is a part of business and social exchanges (Hao, Chen, & Su, 2005).…”

“…Although drinking is common and typically a personal choice, alcohol consumption is divisive because not all people regard the opportunity to drink as an advantage, given that alcohol may be detrimental to both drinkers and organizations (Klotz & da Motta Veiga, 2018). According to a meta‐analytic study, alcohol consumption increases the risk of many diseases (Corrao, Bagnardi, Zambon, & La Vecchia, 2004).…”

“…Similarly, the frequency of heavy episodic drinking over a month has been positively related to the number of absentee days during the following 12 months (Bacharach, Bamberger, & Biron, 2010). Moreover, employees of organizations that promote workplace drinking may feel pressure to drink to please others and fit in (Klotz & da Motta Veiga, 2018). Furthermore, alcohol consumption on the job has been regarded as a form of organizational deviance (R. J. Bennett & Robinson, 2000).…”

The paths from insider to outsider: A review of employee exit transitions

“…Indeed, the “entry transition” process (also referred to as socialization or onboarding), wherein employees move into new work roles, has been extensively studied by HR researchers. With multiple reviews and meta‐analyses on this topic, researchers have facilitated the development of a coherent and comprehensive body of knowledge concerning the nature, antecedents, and consequences of such “entry transition” process (T. D. Allen, Eby, Chao, & Bauer, 2017; Klotz & da Motta Veiga, 2018). As a result, we have a much better understanding of how employees begin new work roles than how they exit those same roles.…”