Alcohol at work

Never ….Sacking offence!

Consultants at the I.T. Company where DH worked were widely labelled as “Rent a drunk”. When he went to work for an American company along with others, drinking during the working day was strictly banned. Quite a shock for some of them.

I worked in education for the majority of my working life. Alcohol not permitted on the premises - I totally agree with that.

Grantanow

Of course Churchill was known to drink champagne and brandy during the war while leading the nation. Just saying.

Yes - and he did it with style. Different times.

No alcohol while working in my various work places - hotel, local government, hospital, school - though socialising after work was fine off the premises of course.
I did once have to ask for a supply teacher to be replaced when I found they were 'nipping into the stock cupboard' through out the morning - sozzled by lunchtime!

When I was a student in the 70s, I worked in a local pub during the holidays. Every day at lunchtime, the horn from the steelworks across the road sounded, and two minutes later the bar was full of men rushing in to drink throughout their lunch break, then return to operate machinery.
It was the culture then.

UK is a nation of binge drinkers whereas in France and Spain they are moderate in their intake. I do not drink and I still have a good time in life.

back in the seventies I worked in the HQ of a government dept and we had a bar where we could purchase drinks during the lunch break.

The Hospital group I worked for since mid 70 ' 2 hospital made up the Group.
Both had Hospital social clubs where staff could drink in the lunchtime if they wanted or had the time? plus Doctors had a "Mess" where they too had a Bar, on both sites.
Not anymore tho' they all went mid 90's.

I worked in the Civil Service in the seventies (when I think there was much more of a drinking culture in offices generally), and we often went to the pub at lunchtime, drank in the office after work etc. However when i worked for them again in the naughtiest no alcohol was allowed on the premises.

When I first started working aged 18 I had one temp placement in Westminster, totting up MP's daily expenditure in the restaurants and bars. Whenever a birthday of one of us underlings occurred, everyone was asked what they would like! Pernod for me then.
I later worked in the music business and drinking at lunchtime was pretty much compulsory, then some days wine in the office the rest of the afternoon and cocaine was freely used. This was early 80's.

Worked in the Civil Service and a bank in the 80s / 90s and had very drunken Christmas parties on office premises. There was actually a bar in one of the Civil Service offices I worked in. I also worked for the Police in the 90s and we would regularly have a drink on the premises at the end of a back shift or night shift

Thank you for bringing this up! I am actually appalled that our country seems to be run by people who are dependent on alcohol to get through their working day! No wonder we are in the mess we find ourselves in. No good ever came from excessive/ regular drinking!

A couple of Xmas parties held after hours.

First one was just starting when I left for the day. Was in the next day for some Saturday overtime for an urgent job. The room where the party had been held was trashed and we were told to clean it up. Several of us who had not been at the party refused and were not popular!!

The next year they had another party on the premises. Apparently someone had vomited over the floor and some of the men had got into a fight- there were suspensions and a dismissal for that.

And no more parties in the office.

I am truly shocked at all the drinking at work, how on earth did the job get done. Worked all my life in a few different organisation but never came across it myself thankfully, if I had the job would have been short lived.

Allsorts

I am truly shocked at all the drinking at work, how on earth did the job get done. Worked all my life in a few different organisation but never came across it myself thankfully, if I had the job would have been short lived.

It wasn't an every day occurrence in the Civil Service, usually drinking en masse was linked to Christmas, Leaving Do's, etc. However, we were wined and dined by people at lunch time when they had won business from us; I worked for the Official Receiver's Office so estates could be lucrative. We had no say in who got the business as it was the Creditors who voted the private company in. The Private firms did poach staff though.

It was a different age and nowadays would be considered completely wrong. We didn't come back from these lunches completely pickled. It was just a glass of wine (or two) or a pint. We were still fit to drive therefore we were probably cognitively fine.

The public school culture that many of these folks grew up with may play a part. Once in 6th form, most social events at the end of the school day, offer alcohol. A leavers’ afternoon tea, for example, at 3.30 pm includes cava, though soft drinks are available. If you get the impression that booze at work at the end of the day is normal, even desirable, you’ll carry that into your own working life.

Over 40 years working generally in public service, and any alcohol drunk was after work at own expense.
At Christmas we may have a meal in a pub, again at our own expense. Never had a bonus or a free ‘jolly’ of any kind.

Yes on Xmas Eve years ago. I was working as an agency temp 10am - 2pm for a large city council. I turned on the computer and was told to turn it off and come to the Xmas party in a large office along the corridor. It was decorated for Xmas and had sandwiches cakes and many bottles of wine. Left there at 1pm feeling quite drunk. OH picked me up and we drove to see a play we had tickets for. Fell asleep in the play so didn't see any of it.

geekesse

The public school culture that many of these folks grew up with may play a part. Once in 6th form, most social events at the end of the school day, offer alcohol. A leavers’ afternoon tea, for example, at 3.30 pm includes cava, though soft drinks are available. If you get the impression that booze at work at the end of the day is normal, even desirable, you’ll carry that into your own working life.

My son was at public school and he would have loved that but it didn't happen. At the Sports' Annual Dinner Dance, the over 18's were allowed to buy alcohol as the function was off school premises. Photos were taken and put on Facebook so from then on, the event was cancelled and had to be held on school premises with no alcohol.
Parents would be offered a glass of fizzy at social events but the pupils, even if they were over 18, were not.

I do object to taxpayers’ money being spent on jollies. In the private sector it comes out of the bosses’ pockets, though may in certain circumstances be claimed as an expense against tax.

in my previous job, we had a Christmas dinner every year, all food and drinks paid for by management.

Probably a tax deduction for the business - but nice for us nevertheless.

Yes, I think it’s a nice token of appreciation in the private sector even if it’s offset for tax purposes. In the public sector we had to club together for our Christmas lunch which I think was right rather than using taxpayers’ money.

No, I used to work in a hospital. I know it is a sack able offence though.

Germanshepherdsmum

Yes, I think it’s a nice token of appreciation in the private sector even if it’s offset for tax purposes. In the public sector we had to club together for our Christmas lunch which I think was right rather than using taxpayers’ money.

Sorry GSM but that's the most tory post I'll see all day. ?

Please don't take offence, none is meant.

In the 90s we had a wine club once a month after school had finished. It consisted of a group of women teachers having a blether and one glass of wine. We would unwind and tell some stories. It was a nice way to see colleagues in a different light. That stopped though as there was a total ban on alcohol in the school at any time. Even adult only events were forbidden to bring any. No-one minded. It was sensible.