Would you have a drink at lunch and then go back to work?
Would you have a drink at lunch and then go back to work?
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.
In the UK people will definitely have a pint on a Friday lunchtime. Sometimes two in my experience. I haven’t seen it as much in Oz but it’s definitely a thing here.
When I worked for a startup we'd sometimes go out for lunch and everyone would have a drink or two. We also kept beer in the office fridge but that was reserved for more Friday afternoons.
I've had white collar jobs where champagne breakfast was a thing, and blue collar jobs with heavy equipment where driving with any degree of intoxication had serious consequences but, surprisingly enough, not necessarily dismissal.
Also, decades ago, I worked with skilled laborers who would have a beer over lunch, and with concrete finishers who would drink a case of beer between 2 or 3 people while working. I feel like concrete finishers used to work for a flat dollar rate plus beer. If there was enough beer, they would stay all night long.
I work in corporate retail in the USA. It's generally acceptable if you're out of the office on a business lunch. Cracking open a beer in the kitchen at lunch probably wouldn't have any immediate consequences but you're probably looking outside of the company for a promotion.
Lol, yeah I was definitely picturing a restaurant setting. Drinking white cider in the alley on your lunch break, or going to a toilet cubicle with a bottle of vodka, really projects a different image...
In my past life, I worked as Data Manager in a movie, at the lunch break, everyone would smoke pot as if nothing. I couldn't do it because I can't use computers while high.
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
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 😔
In the US at a white collar job. 1 (2 max) drinks every once in a long while for a work lunch is acceptable. Depends on how comfortable you are with your coworkers and if anyone else seems willing to drink a beer or two.
When I go lunch I go home for the day. I only work in the morning.
So, no need of alcohol to cope with overwork.
how?? this is like my wet dream.
I work in europe in sector that have signed that we only have to work 35 hours a week. So I work 8 to 15 and that's it.
The secret sauce is that we have massive unions. So we have achieve a lot of labor rights.
You should see my desk is full of propaganda of 4 different unions, and everyone desk is the same, Unions are very present in my sector.
im taking a shit
no.
Used to work in marketing, UK. There was a frew beer fridge, with instructions to only help yourselves after 1630 on a Friday. Beers at lunch were fairly standard on a Friday, less so on other days but not unheard of.
Software guy. Most productive/distraction free time of the day is mid-afternoon. Drinking at lunch would just take that zone away and push everything to the next day.
Happy to wait till 5pm, or whenever feels like a good time to do a git push.
git drunkalternatively, i’ve found the bulmer peak concept to be entirely real: a drink sometimes helps you to just do rather than spending too much time thinking about if what you’re doing is best… it can help with decision paralysis on the micro scale
that said, you can train yourself out of decision paralysis and as someone gets more experienced this is likely to be less and less helpful
Since I work from home... this is totally acceptable.
Depends on what drink it is, I think that a beer would be acceptable in most places, hard liquor brobably not.
I used to think it was unprofessional. But once I had a few jobs where employees were treated like crap, I changed my mind.
IT worker in system analysis and design in the public service in Canberra, Australia.
There's no official policy though many of my co workers believe a lunch time drink is not allowed. I have often enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine or a beer at lunch, have never made a secret of it, and have never been told off or warned by anyone above me
Bartender. I don't get a lunch break so I just drink on the clock.
Where I work, it's a non issue. As long as it doesn't impact your work and nobody notices it (foul odor or behaviour), nobody could care less.
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
Pretty much everwhere I've worked; there's a no alcohol or drugs clause in the employment contract/policies. So officially it's not permitted; but one beer, or a couple hits from a dab pen (weed vape) hasn't been uncommon in most places either; just don't let management see it.
It gets to be a big liability for the individual then tho, even if the company don't regularly enforce the rule, you're opening up an easy way for someone to get you out of your job if they take a dislike to you sore any petty reason...
Ofc, there's always risk when you're going against company policy/your contract.
I'm not saying I recommend smoking/drinking at work; just that it's not uncommon.
Part of my job involves operate hoists that are lifting several tonnes over the general public. Anything that is even impairment adjacent, like being tired, will get you removed from that position. If you are actually impaired you’re fired no questions.
Almost was crushed cause of a rigger 👍🏼. I'd never work with a drunk one.
Years ago, I was working on a house where there were several nests of these wicked looking red wasps. I had been working around them all morning quite safely. At lunch, I drank half a beer, and was almost immediately stung twice when I went back to work. I don't know if it affected my timing or my scent, or something else.
When I worked in kitchens and bars? Regularly
Now, driving a forklift and using a nail gun every day.. I’ll wait till I get home
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'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.
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
UK IT dev here. When I started working in the field back in 2000ish it was perfectly fine for IT staff to pop to the pub. Did for many years. Then in my 20s it became normal to have drinks after work rather than during work. Then when marriage etc came along, it became neither.
No. Work is giant liability now days.
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.
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.
US/Engineer
At my first job, a fairly large firm with a few hundred people, I remember the furtive glances around the table as everyone didn't want to be the first one to order a beer. Once a single person ordered one, several others would too. The boss was fine with it, but nobody did it in front of the boss's boss. We never had more than one, though.
At my second job, a small, new company with 12ish people, it was pretty common. Sometimes someone would bring a six pack to share into the office on a Friday afternoon. Usually, the owners would join in.
At my current job in the public sector, the culture just isn't there. Nobody drinks at all during work hours. I don't drink as much anymore, anyway.
Just one?
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.
Work from home, drink as much as I like
Which is how much?
I'm not into overdosing into anything, so it's all about balance, which means I usually stick with a beer a day at most
I'd regularly have a pint or two (no more than three) with my boss on Wednesday lunchtimes! And, in another workplace, while I was a young'un throwing an almighty tantrum, I spent a month having four double vodkas for lunch most days. Stunned I wasn't fired, honestly. (UK)
You didn't used to be an MP by any chance?
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.
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.
Yes, I drink almost exclusively at lunch.
I find a lot of benefits to this schedule too. Mainly, less likely to over indulge, and less impact on sleep quality.
Me, I just like beer better than wine, and the kind of things I tend to eat for lunch pair better with beer.
US IT. They provide us with drinks at lunch anytime there’s a company wide meeting.
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 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'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.
In the U.S. this has changed a bit over the years. I believe, based on watching Mad Men, that it used to be super common for people to drink and have alcohol at work, let alone at lunch. A friend of my dad used to take his Playboy subscription at work because he didn't want it to be available to his kids. Try that these days!
In the 90s, I worked at a job were it wasn't uncommon to have a drink with lunch, especially when we were out with our Managing Director.
In the 2000s it was essentially something you'd get fired for.
Now? My current job (IT in the aviation industry) wouldn't allow it but there are apparently a lot of start ups that bring beer around to people's desks on Friday afternoons.
It was for the articles!
Forbidden by company policy. Zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol. Federally regulated manufacturing in the US.
I have worked in 6 different manufacturing companies in the US and none of them allow it. Must be a safety and liability thing.
I worked in 3 different European countries, in both academia and industry,
While not being common, it's not that rare to take a glass of wine or beer when doing a real-restaurant for lunch break at work. At least for people working in office.
US, audit & tax
Once in a blue moon, on a really nice day, we would get a patio table and have a margarita with lunch. Only if it was a slow work day, like with nothing but webinars scheduled for the afternoon (as attendees, not presenters).
It was not uncommon to see beer in the office fridge during tax season because those folks would be pulling 15+ hour days for pretty much 3 months straight.
No. My job depends on results. Alcohol affects my production. Therefore, drinking on workdays is a very dumb thing for me to do.
Most places have an alcohol restriction on premises. But lunch time is your own time. Bars near the auto plants used to have 30+ beers already opened so the workers could come in slap their money down and get right to drinking at 12:05. I worked at one place where boss bought beer and pizza for the whole company for doing well that week. I think shop guys had 1 beer restrictions, for "safety". Us office guys could have more. 2 beer and pizza makes it hard to stay awake at the computer though.
IT related to ships and geophysical surveys.
For larger projects, as long as the heavy duty work is out of the way, grabbing a beer or two with the meal is pretty common.
Related story:
We were mobilizing for a project, and I had a real headscratcher of a problem. Work day was over, and we all headed back to the hotel for the evening. We all met at dinner, and I called it "a night" early as I excused myself after a few beers to head back ip to my room.Project manager, who knew of the issues I was having with the system said something along the lines of the issues being serious when it caused me to be the first to leave the bar. "Nah, I'm gonna VPN in and try something I just thought of"
Yup, turns out it was abgood idea: Misconfigured soanning tree was the root cause, and the fix took 5 minutes. It was fun rejoining the others and Announce that the system would be ready the next day after some cleanup, and all that was missing was a few beers. The Ballmer Peak is real.
That sounds like a really cool job!
I like it. It involves a varied combination of servers, network, robotics, travel, and ships.
If my boss gets a drink and I want a drink, it's fair game. Otherwise no.
Depends on what the boss does, but if I'm the most senior person, and especially if it's a conference or lunch meeting with someone I know well, and the itemized bill isn't required for reimbursement, sure thing. Have many times.
Some older companies have policies in place that define appropriate circumstances under which staff can have 1 drink during duty hours and it not be an actionable offense.
In my previous job I had to travel very often to customer's sites or or other offices
The ones in Germany drank regularly during lunch time. I never felt comfortable to do it since my job was very technical. In one office they even had a fridge full of beers and wines that you could grab freely. I never saw anybody drinking at the office tho
Alcohol is bad for you health. Workplaces should be better so folks don’t feel the need to injest poison to tolerate it.
I'm currently in a production support role in the US, and I'd never consider it: I work too closely with production operatives that they'd smell it on me. My last couple of role involved programming automated forklifts, so it was strictly forbidden.
Ten years ago I was doing an internship an engineering firm in the UK, and a few times we went out for a beer with lunch. It wasn't exactly common, but it did happen.
Don't drink.
Sometimes the colleagues crack open a cold ome near the end on a Friday or we chill in an office corner as a sort of after-work "party"I personally don't drink, but my team is all WFH, so I don't doubt at all that there are some that have a beer or two with lunch. Or a glass of wine.
When we have in person events, there's a pretty strict no drinking culture, but once the event is over, usually people will shuffle off to the nearest pub or bar or we've done a board game cafe with booze before.
I had a bottle of hot saki at a restaurant that we walked to last month.
My current job is WFH, so no one would know or care. But I previously had a safety sensitive job that held us to either the same or higher standards as the federal Dept of Transportation. They were so strict that we had posters advising against drinking kombucha at lunch or using pure CBD products at all. My SO at the time had a CBD balm that I would put gloves on to help apply because I didn't want to risk it. The company said that while these products were likely fine, if an accident or something happened and we had to then take a drug test, any registerable amount would be grounds for immediate dismissal with no recourse.
US Freelance Video Editor. Extremely common, some of us even had mini bars in their offices. WFH changed all that though.
Product designer/engineer in the US
If the team is going out to lunch to celebrate a special occasion, then a single drink has always been fine in the teams I worked with. I don't partake anymore because it makes me really sleepy in the afternoon.
I worked at one company that hosted a weekly happy hour. I was one of the employees who took turns setting up the kegs in the common room, and pouring drinks during the event. That was a fun place. The extra social time really improved some working relationships. And we got a surprising amount of productive work done just by talking for an hour or two while standing around sipping microbrews and wine.
We have alcohol at my workplace so this happens sometimes. Just be responsible.
Lol, no. I don't drink at all anymore considering how bad it is for your health, but having a drink before returning to work seems like an insanely bad idea.