Managers' conditions for alcohol prevention work: a focus group study in Swedish workplaces

Purpose This study aims to examine managers' conditions for workplace alcohol prevention in Sweden, where employers are legally required to address organizational and social risks. Despite this obligation, prevention often remains fragmented. The study investigates how organizational structures, workplace cultures and managerial practices intersect to shape prevention efforts and what conditions enable more sustained preventive action and how these conditions can be understood as part of everyday organizational practices rather than isolated policy measures. Design/methodology/approach Six focus groups with managers from diverse workplaces were conducted. Data were analyzed thematically, moving from empirical coding to thematic categories and theoretical abstraction. The analysis draws on social practice theory and sociological perspectives on stigma, power and gender, which were used as sensitizing concepts to interpret how prevention is enacted in practice. Findings Managers reported multiple, intersecting barriers, including limited time and training, high turnover and unclear routines. Policies frequently remained symbolic, functioning as formal documents rather than integrated practices. Stigma, hierarchical relations and gendered norms further constrained action and contributed to silence around alcohol use. Prevention was largely reactive, initiated only after visible problems. Variation across organizations showed that when alcohol prevention was embedded into routines, such as onboarding, annual cycles or alcohol-free events, more proactive practices became possible, even in challenging cultural environments, highlighting how routinization functions as a key mechanism for enabling preventive action. Originality/value The study contributes in three ways. First, it identifies a persistent policy-practice gap, showing how alcohol policies risk remaining symbolic without continuous reinforcement. Second, it conceptualizes alcohol prevention as a social practice sustained through organizational routines, hierarchies and generational identities. Third, it demonstrates how stigma, gender norms and power dynamics limit managers' ability to act. By highlighting four conditions that enable preventive action – time, knowledge, supportive routines and a culture where alcohol can be discussed openly – the study provides actionable insights for human resources and leadership. While grounded in the Swedish regulatory context, the findings offer analytically transferable insights into mechanisms shaping workplace alcohol prevention across different organizational settings.