Drinking and the Job
There are very few places that will tolerate a person drinking on the job for long. Although alcohol is legal and there is no rules or regulations in our society for day time drinking – save for behind the wheel- there is an accepted fact that alcohol in the workplace does not mix.
Common practices of the past are heavily frowned upon in today’s work environment. You rarely see employees have a drink at lunch anymore, and often you will even find that many employees no longer stop with other workers after work for a drink or two during happy hour.
The attitude more and more is that a sober workplace is a sane workplace. Employees have found that keeping their pleasure away from their work has also saved them from hearing about potentially embarrassing moments at the bar. It can be difficult to maintain one’s respect from his co-workers if he keeps finding himself out drinking with them, getting too “wild” or out of hand.
There are also a number of sexual harassment issues that can be avoided when co-workers remain as co-workers and not drinking buddies. In years past there more and more women were reporting sexual harassment from male co-workers whom they had truly just become friendly with – sometimes because they’d gone out for a drink with a group from work. The woman who analyzes who she chooses to associate with and what type of association she will embark upon is very wise. Thus, staying away from potentially harmful situations that can crop up from male/female co-worker fraternization in the bars has become more and more the norm.
You will also find that employees who do imbibe during the work day are easily spotted by management staff. They do not tolerate it for long. If you are aware of somebody “having a couple at lunch” you will see that it doesn’t take long for the person to either get a warning, or worse yet, get his walking papers.
There are a number of reasons why employers no longer tolerate any kind of drinking during the workday. Some of these reasons are based upon overall employee performance such as quality and quantity of work. Some of these reasons are based upon the employer’s obligation to keep a safe and sane work environment for the rest of his staff. There is nothing more frustrating that trying to work on a project with a co-worker who may have gotten a little “tipsy” over the lunch hour.
In the trades, the reasons are also for safety. Imagine a framer working seven stories up, or a surveyor who keeps a six pack in his lunch box, having a drink during the course of the day to “keep him focused” or “keep his nerves steady”. Not such a good practice obviously, the framer puts himself at risk with his tools, and his equilibrium, the surveyor may be questioned the next day as to the accuracy of his plotted points. These two examples are not even invented. They are actual occurrences.
The best rule of thumb for anybody who enjoys their alcoholic beverages is to remember that when one is taking care of business – they do it sober. They and their coworkers will all benefit from their sound decision.