Alcohol in the workplace? | Vital Football

Alcohol in the workplace?

chris who

Vital Champions League
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54563972

A simple question in the present or post tense if retired. How many people on here would be allowed to drink alcohol during working hours in your normal place of work?
Frankly I never have been allowed.In my current job even coming in with about a quarter of the legal limit for driving is a dismal offence. Time political leaders had to enjoy the same rules as most people in this country.
 
To answer the question, no. Never been in a workplace that ‘allowed’ alcohol during hours.

Only place I’ve ever worked where some people regularly had a drink (during lunch hour) was back in the Dockyard.

And actually, there was more than one “old timer” in there that would have a couple of bottles of something at breakfast time to get them started. True alcoholics. Work-wise they seemed to function fine tho. Weird.
 
Was a Civil Servant up until about 15 years ago, went to the pub lunchtime every day (mind you, this was changing to a no drinking policy when I was leaving). Now on the Underground, no chance (designated as safety critical) cannot even drink the night before work. As for drugs, don't even think about it. I have known some people lose their jobs months after having a puff on holiday months before being tested.
 
Was a Civil Servant up until about 15 years ago, went to the pub lunchtime every day (mind you, this was changing to a no drinking policy when I was leaving). Now on the Underground, no chance (designated as safety critical) cannot even drink the night before work. As for drugs, don't even think about it. I have known some people lose their jobs months after having a puff on holiday months before being tested.
Interesting so 15 years ago it was only for a Civil Servant to have a drink and his boss the politician. Now the MPs can get drunk but the civil servants can't.
The MPs are our employees don't you think it is time we put a end to this outdated practice?MPs of all colours should not be allowed a alcoholic drink while in Parliament or their constituency office.
 
Certainly not now chris but back in the late 80's and early 90's we had a bar on site for entertaining important visitors and the there was always a bottle of wine on the restaurant table for them.

I cant be 100% sure when that time ended.

I also remember our german partners shipping over a giant beer barrel to help the workforce celebrate a first flight of a particular product.

If I travel now I gave to identify alcoholic beverages separately as some us contracts don't permit it .

Funny how attitudes change. You only have to watch life on Mars or ashes to ashes to see what was the norm in the 70s and 80s.
 
Working on the railway, it was compulsory to have a beer at work in the 80s! But all that has stopped, and now wait for long weekends to be an alcoholic!
 
Back in the early '70s, whilst working at Elliotts, I went one morning, on site, to give blood. The doc asked if, by chance, I drank Guinness, & that if I had a pint or two at lunchtime they'd take my blood in the afternoon ... ! (which I did!)
 
Been at a few companies where occasionally people would go to a restaurant / pub for lunch and have a small glass of wine or small shandy with their food. As everyone was generally office work rather than operating heavy machinery then providing anyone drinking didn't go back to the office smelling of booze or acting drunk then nothing was said. And people generally didn't make a habit of it. Last year's company Christmas meal saw numerous bottles of wine bought with a few people probably not fit to drive.

At my last job after finishing the quarterly payouts, providing it went smoothly, the bosses would bring in some cake and some cheap " trying to pretend to be champagne" wine of which there would be enough for a glass who wanted it.

At a few prior prior places, the sales team were known to bring in the odd bottle for a glass or two in the afternoon if they got a particularly large new deal signed off. The management usually turned a blind eye as they'd enjoy a glass too.

I've certainly known a few people in sales or management positions who'd drink a glass of wine when out entertaining potential business partners. Also known a few Christmas Eves where people have been required to come in in the morning and aside from cleaning up their desks, people just sit around chatting with maybe a can of Fosters. The bosses turned a blind eye as I think they realised no one would be making any effort to work as the company was shut over Christmas so there were no point starting anything new.

I think a lot of the time in more office based jobs, management will turn a blind eye providing any lunchtime drinking is moderate enough that is isn't obvious and the people aren't making a habit of it.

Wasn't the bars in parliament supposed to be down to the fact it was considered unsafe if leading figures decided they wanted to go down the pub for a drink after the final session of work for the day?
 
I joined banking in 2008, and I missed all of the 'glory years' that my colleagues tell me of, where there was a definite party culture in the boom years. Thursday nights, friday - from lunch - no work was done. So I am told.

My wife worked in banking since 2001, and she tells me of going for multiple pub lunches with her managers etc. But all of that stopped in 2008 as banks were taken over by the govt. Now it's very rare to go out for a pub lunch. At most places we struggle to even arrange a once weekly lunchtime meet up to leon or something tbh. With everyone on their own hectic schedule, it just doesnt happen as often now.

When out with the boss for lunch, I always go with the mantra of 'drink only if your manager does'.

Where I work we wouldn't be tested, we dont operate any sort of machinery etc so no risk to people. And I don't think anyone would sack us for having had a couple of beers as long as it wasn't noticeable in our work. Ultimately we're trusted to do our own work and manage our own time. But that said, i just dont really see anyone having lunchtime beers really.

Then again I work in IT, and there's a huge amount of people from an Indian/Sri Lankan background in all of the places i've worked previously. They just don't tend to have the same drinking culture.

The last contract I recently had, at a small trendy challenger bank in Covent Garden filled with young 20-30 somethings, the management had a fridge of beer/wine stocked up which opened on a Friday afternoon at 4. You were allowed, or even encouraged to have a beer on the Friday afternoon to socialise, they even put on 'organised fun' events like quizes etc. To be honest, I preferred to go home and get out to my local for the evening with my mates, the commute was a bitch so I didn't fancy staying after 4 on a Friday or i'd be home quite late. And I am not about that on a Friday!

I am more likely to drink if i meet a friend for lunch, than if i go out with a colleague for lunch. Gordon Ramsay says, never get drunk in front of your staff/colleagues. I think lots of people agree with that mantra these days too.

To be honest, people are so busy these days, they cant usually afford to have a couple of beers at lunch, and then get fuck all done the rest of the day, and make a mess of a couple of conference calls with the CEO because i want an afternoon snooze.

I'd personally rather work through lunch and get home to spend time with the kids/go pub earlier.
 
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I had a mug full of booze for a particularly boring evening work meeting on Zoom on Tuesday, as did at least one other attendee. Bit miffed when it ran out and the meeting continued for another hour, but it tempered the dullness somewhat.
 
As others have testified, when I joined the Civil Service in the late 80s, lunchtime drinking was fairly common and a lot of Friday afternoons were a right off. In my sphere it petered out around the early-mid 90s and quite rightly so. Nowdays it only happens at Christmas lunches, which are hardly riotous affairs.
 
I'm allowed to drink in my place of work. But then I'm freelance and work from home, so not sure that counts!

When I worked in France about 20 years ago, the work canteen used to have beers, wine, etc. Don't know whether that's still the case these days, though.
 
I allow it, we've got a bar in the office.

People are pretty good about not taking the piss and might have a couple of beers or a G&T from 4ish onwards on a Thursday or Friday.

It's mostly used in the evenings with people inviting their friends in.
 
in 80s and 90s it was almost frowned on not to where i worked- 2, maybe 3 pints at lunchtime then back to the office to hit the phones! if you took a client out it was always a boozy lunch- even appraisals were done down the pub with a pie and a pint or two.. These days the new gen seem to prefer water at lunchtime despite my best efforts of encouragement!
 
I allow it, we've got a bar in the office.

People are pretty good about not taking the piss and might have a couple of beers or a G&T from 4ish onwards on a Thursday or Friday.

It's mostly used in the evenings with people inviting their friends in.

Dunno what the laws are in UK. But here in Oz, if an employer provides a function or beers for staff. If one of them then had say, a drink/drive incident, the employer would also be liable under WH&S laws.

Our employer no longer has any alcohol on premises for outside hours functions of any sort. Anything like that (Xmas party eg) that is put on by the company, is off site only and with transport or cab charge laid on. No one driving if they've had a drink.
 
Dunno what the laws are in UK. But here in Oz, if an employer provides a function or beers for staff. If one of them then had say, a drink/drive incident, the employer would also be liable under WH&S laws.

Our employer no longer has any alcohol on premises for outside hours functions of any sort. Anything like that (Xmas party eg) that is put on by the company, is off site only anarwith transport or cab charge laid on. No one driving if they've had a drink.
We dont have that in the uk. Seems an odd rule. How can the company be held accountable for bad decisions made by the employee when they go home. How they choose to go home once quaffing all the free booze should surely be their responsibility. If they commit a murder on the way home, are they liable for that too?
 
Dunno what the laws are in UK. But here in Oz, if an employer provides a function or beers for staff. If one of them then had say, a drink/drive incident, the employer would also be liable under WH&S laws.

Our employer no longer has any alcohol on premises for outside hours functions of any sort. Anything like that (Xmas party eg) that is put on by the company, is off site only and with transport or cab charge laid on. No one driving if they've had a drink.

If any of the team are driving to our office I can only assume they are being paid too much!