Drinking in the workplace???

[cardaway]

Do people think having a alcoholic drink or two in the workplace is acceptable or is something that lives only in the past and in the Movies and TV?

I can't help but to wonder how much this really goes on when I see people doing it on screen. I have never seen it in person, and I have personally never done it myself.

 

[DISUNC]

Do people think having a alcoholic drink or two in the workplace is acceptable or is something that lives only in the past and in the Movies and TV?

I can't help but to wonder how much this really goes on when I see people doing it on screen. I have never seen it in person, and I have personally never done it myself.

Alcohol in he workplace went out about a year or two after smoking in the workplace did.

 

[nannerbadnanner]

I don't know. I used to work in a small law office (three attorneys), and they kept alcohol in the fridge and would often drink while on the job. I don't drink alcohol so it was a bit of a shock for me. I should have been tipped off in the interview when they asked how I felt about "drinkin' and cussin'."

 

[KimR]

When I first started working at a 'real' job back in the late 80's it was very common to go out for lunch and have a few drinks. I can remember one man in particular was notorious for getting trashed at lunch on Fridays then coming back and getting into fights with co-workers. It definitely made work more interesting.

 

[luvwinnie]

I know someone who drinks almost daily at lunch...to excess.

 

[MushyMushy]

Okay, get this.

My DH worked once worked as an office manager for a highway subcontractor who kept cases of beer in the fridge. The guy would drink all day and even give his DRIVERS beer. That guy was hateful -- not just for that, but for many reasons.

Another job he had, they weren't technically allowed to drink on company time, but many times the big wigs would go to lunch and have a few.

 

[bekkiz]

In my grad program, we worked in the mornings until noon or so and came for class from 3-7 or 8. There were more than a few times that my group would have a margarita with lunch, but it wasn't an every day thing...probably once or twice a month. Anything to make class a little more entertaining.

Someone else in the program TOLD on us LOL (she had seen us at the restaurant). The director seemed embarassed that she had to confront us, esp. when she knew we weren't drunk or anything, and we were doing really well. We were pretty giggly everyday, so I suppose that could be construed as being under the influence. Really, we were just silly girls.

It was even funnier that one of the supervisors who loved us would take us for beer during meetings...technically on "school" time.

However, I'm not one to drink on company time unless it's sponsored by said company.

 

[oxfordcircus]

I have never seen it in my workplace but I've only been working 10 years. We always save the drinking for after work.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I used to go out for drinks with friends during lunch sometimes. I once came back to the office almost drunk and fell asleep on my keyboard. Good times, good times......

 

[U2_rocks!]

Smoking is out, but the drinks still flow freely at our office on the last working afternoon before Christmas, the last working afternoon before New Year's, the annual Christmas party (and yes, it's a Christmas party, not a holiday party! ) and the annual fun day!

Yup, we like our drinks! We also like games - for some reason, dominoes and cards go along with drinks in Bajan society!

 

[arminnie]

It was just a given that you would order a drink when going on a job interview or out to lunch in the 60s and 70s. Sometimes I didn't just because I didn't feel like a drink. I never felt funny about not having a drink, but it would have been perfectly acceptable to have one.

My area held international economic meetings quarterly in our offices. Wine was always available in those little bottles for their lunch. The ones left over were kept in the community fridge for anyone that wanted it.

In the early 80s I worked for EDS (the company Ross Perot) founded. There were ultra-strict rules about working there including no alcohol on the job EVER. Grounds for immediate dismissal.

I remember how strange it seemed at the time to go out for Mexican food and not have a margarita or a beer. We totally obeyed the rules though.

It has really changed in the last 25 years. Now it would seem extremely strange to have a drink at a business lunch. I would never do it at an interview of all places.

I've seen even more changes on my undergraduate campus. From the 60-80s it was legal to drink at 18. Alcohol was routinely served at many college sponsored events - everything from a sherry party with the faculty on Friday afternoons to bloody marys and mimosas at weekend brunches.

Now the university will not even allow 60 year old alums to serve alcohol at a closed event if a campus room is used. But it doesn't seem to matter as the majority of 60 year olds that I know no longer drink.

 

[Blondie]

When I first started working at a 'real' job back in the late 80's it was very common to go out for lunch and have a few drinks. I can remember one man in particular was notorious for getting trashed at lunch on Fridays then coming back and getting into fights with co-workers. It definitely made work more interesting.

I remember it being like that back in the 80's too! Heck, if we had a really good quarter, we'd have an office wine and cheese party on Friday afternoon starting around 3PM. Most would have more than just one glass of wine (try 3or 4), then get in their cars and drive home.

I also remember going out to lunch to celebrate something and having my fair share of mixed drinks, then getting back in our cars to either drive back to the office or call it a day and drive home. We'd be wasted by 4pm.

I sure hope things have changed!

 

[hlbtimes2]

I worked in a very casual office about 10 years ago. We would drink on Fridays starting at 3pm, we were off at 5.

I do have a coworker here at work that drinks on the job. The boss knows and does nothing about it. He is drunk more often then not. Its really bad considering he works with machinery and could kill himself or someone else if he isnt careful. I dont even walk thru his work area anymore. I consider it a "danger zone".

 

[Freyja]

It depends on the workplace I guess. I know a couple of bartenders and most of them drink a beer or two while on the job. A cop drinking in the workplace would be a whole other story though.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

I'm in and out of law offices all day, and there's always beer/wine in the fridges. I also see liquor in the attorneys' private offices.

It's also really common to see the attorneys drinking in restaurants at lunch.

Not sure about other industries, but the legal industry, at least where I am, still has alcohol. There even seems to be a running joke when attorneys come to my office for depositions (I'm a court reporter) and I ask them what they would like to drink. "Scotch and water" is the standard answer

 

[smartestnumber5]

In my grad program, we worked in the mornings until noon or so and came for class from 3-7 or 8. There were more than a few times that my group would have a margarita with lunch, but it wasn't an every day thing...probably once or twice a month. Anything to make class a little more entertaining.

Someone else in the program TOLD on us LOL (she had seen us at the restaurant). The director seemed embarassed that she had to confront us, esp. when she knew we weren't drunk or anything, and we were doing really well. We were pretty giggly everyday, so I suppose that could be construed as being under the influence. Really, we were just silly girls.

Huh? Someone in your grad program actually confronted you about what you do on your own personal time outside of the building?

In my program some grad students got an email warning because they were storing alcohol in the office fridge. But the issue there was just that they had alcohol in the building when apparently the university bans alcohol from all but a few of its academic buildings.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I know I've never drank anything other than soda or water in the work place. Neither has DH.

Although..last Oct we attended a corporate convention with several of DH's coworkers and their spouses. In the evenings, there were lots of 'sponsored' parties put on by different groups, companies, etc where there was all the alcohol you could drink free of charge. We DID take advantage of that, even though DH and I don't drink.

TOV

 

[Bob Slydell]

The only time I've ever personally seen alcohol consumed in the office during work hours was when I was working in Europe. They kept some wine and beer in the department fridge all the time.

In all my years in the corporate world (all 12 of them ), I've had a drink during lunch one time -- on a Friday afternoon right before Christmas, a group of us went down to a restaurant in our building and had a beer with our lunch. That's the only time I remember ever drinking during work hours.

After work? That's a different story.

 

[bekkiz]

Huh? Someone in your grad program actually confronted you about what you do on your own personal time outside of the building?

In my program some grad students got an email warning because they were storing alcohol in the office fridge. But the issue there was just that they had alcohol in the building when apparently the university bans alcohol from all but a few of its academic buildings.

No, she didn't have the guts to confront us...the other student told the director, who then confronted us. This particular person did not like a few of us, mostly because we gave off the impression that we didn't take things very seriously. I'll be honest, (this was a teacher's ed program) the classroom stuff we sat through--we did NOT take seriously. It was a lot of stupid hoops to jump through, and the 5 of us tried to have as much fun as we could. I could see some one thinking we were under the influence a couple of days (it was way worse on the days we didn't have a drink )

On the other hand, according to the supervisors, we were the highest rated people in the program based on our teaching ability. None of us bought into the whole "save the world through teaching" message, but we did a darn fine job with our students. The girl who told on us was the exact opposite.

 

[SC Minnie]

Our company policy strictly forbids drinking alcohol during work hours. The policy states that if you consume alcohol during lunch - ie with a client- do not come back to work that afternoon.