A qualitative analysis of social drinking culture’s impact on employee well-being: the case of Ljubljana bars

The hospitality sector is characterized by occupational cultures in which alcohol is readily available and often part in everyday work practices.While alcohol consumption among hospitality employees is frequently framed as an individual or lifestyle choice, its organizational and cultural dimensions remain underexplored, particularly in Central European contexts.This thesis examines how social drinking culture within Ljubljana bars influences employee wellbeing and identifies the mechanisms through which this influence is exerted.The study adopts a qualitative, theory-driven research design grounded in Organizational Culture theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Job Demands-Resources model.Data was collected through semistructured interviews with hospitality employees working in diverse bar settings in Ljubljana.A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to examine how alcohol-related practices are normalized, learned, and integrated into coping strategies within the workplace.The findings indicate that alcohol use is widely normalized through informal norms, social integration processes, and after-shift rituals, shaping everyday practices within bar workplaces.Alcohol functions simultaneously as a social resource, a symbolic form of relaxation, and a coping mechanism in response to high job demands such as emotional labour, understaffing, and irregular working hours.However, reliance on alcohol often reflects limited access to formal organizational resources rather than individual preference.The study highlights the ambivalent role of alcohol in shaping employee well-being and underscores the importance of addressing structural job demands and workplace culture.These findings have implications for sustainable human resource management, psychosocial risk prevention, and social sustainability in the hospitality sector.