Drinking at work.I want to bring it back

[TexLaw]

I'm not a lawyer but I believe there is something called host liability which in a nutshell puts the blame on the employer if they are aware that you had a drink during work hours. If you decide to go to the bar after work and get plastered they can put partial blame on your employer in such an instance. Scary thought.

That's a matter of state law, so check that out in your home state (or wherever you may be at the time.

No matter what, though, no employer wants to be dragged into something like that. It's a PR nightmare. It's also one of the reasons that it's been years since I've attended a sponsored party that did not have a stack of cab vouchers, an open Uber account, or something along those lines. It's both cheap insurance and the right thing to do.

Regarding those bars, many states have what's called a "dram shop act" (or something similar). Such a law holds an establishment that serves alcohol responsible for the harm its customers cause when leaving (no matter what their state was when they arrived). Depending on the law, either or both the server and the establishment may be held responsible for the harm.

Many states (if not all) also have a law against serving alcohol to an intoxicated individual. Again depending on the law, the server and/or the establishment may be liable.

 

[ShaverGN]

I'm not a lawyer but I believe there is something called host liability.

"The first thing we must do is kill all the lawyers."

Shakespeare. King Henry VI

 

[TexLaw]

"The first thing we must do is kill all the lawyers."

Shakespeare. King Henry VI

''The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." A line from Dick the Butcher, planning to make Jack Cade the King by eliminating law and order. In other words, if you want chaos, "kill all the lawyers."

 

[ShaverGN]

I cannot argue with a real lawyer!

 

[TexLaw]

Wise man!

 

[Smooth Steve]

In my first job after college, we used to have some bottles in the office for after hours. We didn't drink much in the office though. Things were different because we would go out for 2 hr lunches and have drinks usually a few times a week, but worked long hours. I have to admit, sometimes productivity suffered after a huge lunch and a couple of wines, but that is how business was done. Nothing like today. Back then, when I first started we had one 286 computer for the office, people used the phone, and memos and faxes where all hand typed by the secretary. Today many just want to sit in front of a computer and send emails CC'ing everyone and IM's on their smartphones. I constantly have to remind my team to use the phone and focus on customer onsite visits.

We were a small regional office and would smoke cigars all the time back in the '90's.

I remember I would have to personally deliver cigar boxes to a couple of very famous executives, known for their cigars smoking, who have since retired. They would send faxes to my boss thanking him for the Cubans, but would complain that they could not enjoy them in their office because of the laws!

Steve

 

[Heron]

Regardless of liability, drinking at work equals more drunk drivers on the road.

 

[FL shaver]

The only agency at which I worked that the administrator allowed drinking in the office is now closed. The administrator ended up in rehab. I remember more than one instance of the front end of her car showing damage. Never had a drop at work and never will.

 

[Viseguy]

... if you want chaos, "kill all the lawyers."

NY lawyer here. People always want to kill the lawyers -- until they need one.

 

[coramdeo412]

My last job, I worked for a Danish firm and 4pm was literally happy hour. Beer only but it was the sweetest tasting beer ever. This was last year!!! [emoji1087][emoji1087][emoji1087]

 

[Kazeryu]

A drink or two would be one thing while coding or churning out internal paperwork, but a pretty scary idea when it comes to customer interaction, testing, and email.

It would be nice to have the option on rare occasions, but the optics would be pretty bad.

 

[YKMV]

Just down the road form my house is a Profi-Knorr ( think Home Depot) ... in the vending machine next to the customer restrooms and employee lounge is a vending machine with Bier in it.. this is the norm from what I've seen in many companies in Germany.
In addition, on the Army Base, the Kantina (Germany cafe not affliated with the Army or AAFES) sells bier. My unconfirmed information is that 2 Biers per lunch is not a problem. More might be but no one has ever confirmed that.

It's only Bier, ya know. Not double Martinis or Triple Scotch on the rocks.

 

[ackvil]

Another true story. I was working as a trial attorney for the NLRB. The Brewery Workers division of the Teamsters Union filed unfair labor practices claiming the brewery was not bargaining in good faith.
The custom at the time was to allow any brewery workers to get beer from the tap at any time and drink as much as they wanted. This had been a custom for many years. However, in the past few years the company had a substantial number of workers comp cases caused, they claimed, by workers being under the influence and injuring themselves. Accordingly, during contract negotiations one of the big issues was the elimination of drinking on the job. The company's initial proposal was to give each worker a six pack to take home at the end of the day. Eventually, they upped it to a 12 pack. The union refused any change in drinking on the job. Eventually, the negotiations came to an impasse and the union called a strike. After 12 weeks of being out on strike, the union filed its unfair labor practice charges claiming the issue of drinking on the job was not a mandatory condition of bargaining and, therefore, by insisting on it the company engaged in an unfair labor practice. That's when they filed their charges. The next negotiation session made no headway and the brewery informed the union that it was closing the brewery, I could not believe that these folks would give up high-paying jobs in an area, Newark NJ, which had few such jobs available.

 

[RobberBaron]

Worked at Brown-Forman for about 6 years. Drinks at lunch were allowed, and for awhile they had a happy hour every Friday in the company dining room (it had a full bar). At the Christmas lunch they'd bus the group to a restaurant and you could drink all you want, then they'd bus you back to the office where you could sober up before heading home. Not sure if they do that any longer or not. I remember a SVP who got loaded at lunch most days then fell asleep in his office, snoring.