What would be the acceptability of this in your workplace? For context, which country and industry are you in?
I guess I’m mainly thinking about professional jobs, but interested to hear from. I think in France it would be quite common to have a glass of wine, even at a work canteen or so. But in the UK it seems like people would think that was a problem, and in a lot of cases you’d be in violation of something at work.
I went back to work once (programming) after a couple of beers at the bar. Turns out not a job I can do while drinking.
Obligatory
Canadian IT worker.
I refuse to drink at work parties. Everyone else does and I get some peer pressure to drink but I don’t care. Its normal to see people get super drunk and embarrass themselves which is why I don’t even start.
Specifically at lunch, if I’m not driving and others are having a beer I will but only one. If I’m driving, it depends on how I’m feeling.
Working from home I’ve been known to have a beer or two on a Friday afternoon by my self.
When I left my last job we had a meeting at the end of the day with the guys I got along with and anyone they wanted to invite. There was about 15 people from different departments with their cameras on having a drink or smoking (pot) if they didn’t drink as a goodbye. Was a nice goodbye. Lol
I don’t drink but if I did I’d never drink at a work social. I leave work socials early to avoid any drunkenness because there are 535356 ways it can go wrong.
Way 535354: coworker gets really drunk, as does the owners wife. Coworker later fired for sleeping with owners wife. Like that you mean?
Haha yep that’s on the list
I’ve drank, and got drunk, at exactly one work function in my current capacity. The living hell that was a day of serious meetings with 3 hours of sleep and a wicked hangover/still being drunk has made all other functions water and bed by 9:30 affairs.
Luckily everyone in the meetings had either made the same mistake before, or were functioning alcoholics, so the fallout was just being a pile of misery.
If a VP decides to take everyone for drinks at a club after the official function, at absolute most show up to nurse one drink then leave. Do not be the last one out the door.
Sure, if I’m meeting a vendor for lunch it would be normal. If I’m just sitting at my desk working through lunch like I typically do, it would be really strange to have a drink and I’d probably be reprimanded.
USA, IT worker
I used to think it was unprofessional. But once I had a few jobs where employees were treated like crap, I changed my mind.
I work in healthcare in the UK. I don’t even drink on week nights let alone over lunch. I agree over here drinking at lunch would probably be seen as a problem.
I think a big part of that is the UK binge drink culture. Most people over here drink a lot in one go to get drunk as the goal.
Off topic but your name is amazing
Thanks, I came up with it in secondary school and have been using it since.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
Used to work for a company that started out as a US startup for IT Services, later it was purchased by a large German company.
During its startup days, you did not dare drink alcohol at lunch time.
After being bought by the German company, you did not dare NOT to drink alcohol at lunch time. Especially if someone from Germany was visiting. They viewed it odd that we had an aversion to drinking beer at lunch.
I’m a welder, and no I would not. It’s not allowed on the shipyard. But even if I could, I wouldn’t. I’m a professional and I’m working with high power tools & equipment. I need to have a clear head.
The trades aint what they used to be 😔
I work in manufacturing in America. There’s NO FUCKING WAY. You’d be fired immediately if caught. I don’t even think the union would try to back you up. It’s simply too dangerous of an environment. However, reeking of booze from the night before? Apparently totally fine.
I see no problem with a single drink at lunch, specially with your team. It helps you relax and build rapport imo.
At my previous job, my manager would take our 5-6 people team out for lunch and a beer for anyone’s birthday and at the end of the year. I miss that.
My current job doesn’t allow it, so going out for lunch with co workers is a little more stiff, and so is my relationship with my manager.
Last christmas I had to work during the break with only 1 co-worker, we snuck out and had pizza with a berr. It was great.
I’m in the UK. I worked at a couple of places in the '90s - sysadmin and IT trainer - where this was considered perfectly acceptable at the time, but I definitely wouldn’t now. I’m no longer in IT at all, but I don’t think that it is seen as acceptable very widely anywhere now.
yeah I like to have around 7 at lunch and then puke and shit and piss all over my desk
Depending on your company culture, 5 to 10 drinks may be considered the socially acceptable limit for a work lunch. Pissing at your desk is mandatory. Shitting and puking is optional.
your are in Asia also
US IT. They provide us with drinks at lunch anytime there’s a company wide meeting.
UK/Astronaut
We take a fifth of gin everytime our home country whizzes by, so that’s a full glass over the entire workday, and it tends to make the job go faster.
You drink in space??? What kind of gin? What’s being drunk in zero g like? I’m gonna vomit just at the thought of a space hangover mate
Hell yeah, spirits only though since no one’s yet found a ‘medicinal’ reason to bring beer along. I like a bit of Hayman slo gin, we’ve got some Schadlerer schnapps, and plenty of clear bottles.
Being drunk’s pretty much the same but it hits you way faster and passes quicker too, hence why you only do a little bit at a time. No one’s vommed yet, but got plenty of towels around for other reasons just in case
Other reasons like zero-g orgies?
Nah, the sex is bad and the 24hr livestream makes it difficult to perform. We really do need better trained professionals up here.
That’s so sick. What do I have to do to be able to get drunk in space? Have you been training to be an astronaut your whole life or is it a career switch?
I sort of fell into it, did a couple of STEM degrees back when they were handing those out, took a foreign language course in Russian and Japanese, met someone there whose partner worked for the ESA, and then did an internship, and then went through years of vigorous training outrunning and outdrinking my colleagues. None of this is true btw, and please don’t believe people who claim to be astronauts on the web.
Hilarious, you got me 😂 I am so crushed that you’re not an actual astronaut though!
Switzerland, IT
Depends on the team. It’s not that uncommon in some occasions, for example on a friday, to have a beer when eating lunch in a restaurant.
Very common is the “Apero”-culture. Small festivities after work to celebrate something. Snacks, beer and wine are part of it. Sometimes this can also be during the day and people will continue to work after.
I am a winemaker in the Pacific Northwest. I sample wines a lot throughout the day but mostly I spit, I still catch a bit of a buzz sometimes though. Sometimes during harvest when we’re working long days outside I’ll have a beer or two. We celebrate the start and end of harvest with champagne. When I work wine tasting events I look forward to trying wines from other local wineries, I usually have a fair number of tastes throughout the event. I think I actually drink more at work than I do at home.
