Is it OK to drink at a company outing to baseball game?

[mikehn]

I wouldnt drink at a company event, whether it was on or off the clock. With liquor in your bloodstream, you tend to say things you shouldnt. If you can stop after one drink, then fine. But that's not easy.

 

[KAMKIM]

Depends on the company but I always say...better safe than sorry. You dont want any one at your company looking down on you for drinking at a company event.

Every year the owner of our company takes our office out to lunch, he tells us every year...you can have a drink if you'd like...he always does. I order a diet pepsi.

My DH's company has their Christmas party at a bar - drinks included...with that said people were making idiots out of themselves and I would not have wanted to be them come Monday morning. The company did pay for people to get cabs home but I thought it was stupid the way they were acting..

 

[ols386]

For me personally, I wouldn't drink alcohol at any type of work get-together. I don't normally drink anyway, and I'd feel just one or two drinks. I'd sure hate to say or do something at a work event to embarrass myself.

And if I had to drive home, I for sure wouldn't drink anything alcoholic.

 

[DebbieB]

I happened to see a picnic invitation for people in another office last month. It was held at a park in the afternoon. It was "on the clock". It specified no alcohol. Being an insurance company, we know how liquor liability claims go.

 

[Nie0214]

We have had company outings (BBQ, boat tour) and beer and wine is made available.

 

[supercarrie]

I think you would be shocked if you worked for my company! We have company events once a month (last Friday of every month) where everyone takes the afternoon off for a company meeting, followed by a "fun event" and drinks paid for by the company. (Example - we rented out one floor of a bar last Friday.) We also have bi-annual parties - the last two the bar stayed open until 5am. (Allowed in the UK.)

This might just be a reflection of life in the UK versus the US, but drinking is encouraged. If you don't drink, there isn't a lot of pressure (there have been times when I haven't drank for one reason or another) but most people do. Sometimes people get "stupidly" drunk but no one drinks/drives (we live in London, so no one drives really).

This was one of the biggest differences I experienced when moving to the UK - the very different attitude to alcohol. It is considered a big part of company culture, at least where I work.