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Drinking on lunch break

LegacyUser

I'd like some other peoples opinions on this. I've worked for my current employer for over 3 years on the same team. I recently moved to a different role within the same organisation but to another team. We'd all have the same director/line manager.

I went for lunch with the new team today and they were drinking. I haven't looked at my contract but I would have assumed that drinking during a work day would be something not many employers allow.

I'm debating whether to report it to my manager or to say it to another colleague of mine.

I don't want to be a "rat" but I really don't think this is acceptable.

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Teyla Emmagan

daheff wrote:

Dont know about Galway, but its certainly not the norm to have a drink with your lunch in Dublin

It certainly feckin isn't.

[Deleted User]

Nody wrote: »

Mod:
OP asked a very reasonable question; the number of people jumping on him for it is not on...

Not disagreeing with your mod direction and also, it would greatly help the discussion if the OP could return and provide some details/background to the nature of work completed by the team, and the location i.e. Ireland/London etc.

greendom

morald wrote: »

I'd like some other peoples opinions on this. I've worked for my current employer for over 3 years on the same team. I recently moved to a different role within the same organisation but to another team. We'd all have the same director/line manager.

I went for lunch with the new team today and they were drinking. I haven't looked at my contract but I would have assumed that drinking during a work day would be something not many employers allow.

I'm debating whether to report it to my manager or to say it to another colleague of mine.

I don't want to be a "rat" but I really don't think this is acceptable.

A really bad idea - surely you want to integrate with the group rather than alienate them.

John_Rambo

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

It certainly feckin isn't.

It certainly is in certain industries. Advertising (as mentioned before) is one of them. Drop in to Luna, Super Miss Sue, Drury or any of the decent restaurants in Dublin city centre on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and see!

IQO

greendom wrote: »

A really bad idea - surely you want to integrate with the group rather than alienate them.

Buy the next round of pints instead.

Walter2016

Ah memories of my early career. If you were looking for any of the sales team in an unmentioned radio station after 1pm on Thursdays, call the baggot inn. (no mobiles back then)
On Fridays, call the henry grattan.

But as others have said, it depends on what the work is and whether the drink consumed would affect that work.

LegacyUser

totally the norm in the "old days" and i worked in banking.
if you are that concerned, don't go.
who are you to report it?
reporting to management might be the worst mistake you make. look like an idiot, a snitch etc.
if you know its not acceptable, don't go.
if your team members find out / senior management also have a drink and you don't know, you won't go far in that company

Teyla Emmagan

John_Rambo wrote: »

It certainly is in certain industries. Advertising (as mentioned before) is one of them. Drop in to Luna, Super Miss Sue, Drury or any of the decent restaurants in Dublin city centre on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and see!

I'm clearly in the wrong line of work. I'd love to be in any of those places on a Wednesday have a lovely lunch and a drink!

John_Rambo

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

I'm clearly in the wrong line of work. I'd love to be in any of those places on a Wednesday have a lovely lunch and a drink!

I know, but it's detrimental to the health every week! I extracted myself from that end of the business with big client exceptions. As great as it seems, it's not the lifestyle you'd want as you get older! There's lots of media buyer companies with young bloods that live that life now. But, they work bloody hard for little for a long time after lots of hard collage work!

milltown

John_Rambo wrote: »

I know, but it's detrimental to the health every week! I extracted myself from that end of the business with big client exceptions. As great as it seems, it's not the lifestyle you'd want as you get older! There's lots of media buyer companies with young bloods that live that life now. But, they work bloody hard for little for a long time after lots of hard collage work!

Collages aren't that hard.
If I was able to manage them in high babies, I imagine I could make a decent go of one as an adult with a few lunchtime drinks on board.

BigAl81

A bottle of beer at lunch is better for you than a bottle of coke!

John_Rambo

milltown wrote: »

Collages aren't that hard.
If I was able to manage them in high babies, I imagine I could make a decent go of one as an adult with a few lunchtime drinks on board.

Ah, nice one! I meant colleges! Don't send your kids to boozy lunches or I'll report you to the mods, and the offense police, and the high horse people...

You could get arrested, you should be more responsible in fairness. I have my eye on you...

ligerdub

Considering you don't seem to know what the policy is yourself you might want to check that out first!

What if it's ok and you've gone to your superior or their superior and told them about it? They're just going to shrug their shoulders and you're going to look like a troublemaker to them, and when word eventually gets back to the individuals involved it would be very tricky for you in terms of trust and camaraderie.

Even if it is against the policy I'd consider it common courtesy to give them fair warning about it rather than going over their heads. It could also be 1) a one-off thing to mark the new team, harmless misdemeanour or 2) an honest mistake. This is people's livelihoods you're dealing with here, tread carefully!

Glass fused light

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

I'm clearly in the wrong line of work. I'd love to be in any of those places on a Wednesday have a lovely lunch and a drink!

Totaly depends on the industry, most all the expensive best

wine I ever drank has been on the company dime. Co-worker from the US would come over on the early flight, hit the office in the morning, lovey long lunch and drop them back to the hotel, wander back to the office and catch up on stuff..

Most important rule is not to send out emails or important stuff or if you know that you have something on switch to water.

OP
if the lunch was paid for by the company, they know.
If they bought you lunch its not a nice way to say thanks, but

If its a safety thing you are kind of stuck on reporting,
If its not a safety thing and no one was totaly incapacitated in doing their job be careful as they may have scheduled their workload to factor in the possible drunkenness post-lunch.

sirwin357

I was about to castigate you. But..... So many factors. Do you drive today. Do they. I would say NO. Not in any circumstance. Make your feelings known. Its the silent objections that do the most harm. You never know when you save a life. You know when you have taken one.

Lux23

A glass or two of wine on the odd lunch is no harm unless of course you operate machinery. (Except for the girls that work in the knicker factory in Coronation Street!)

uck51js9zml2yt

I worked for a company who provided wine for staff lunches on certain occasions.
We knew not to over do it and went back to work capable of doing our jobs afterwards.

kirk buttercup

Buzz Killington

faceman

It's a bit of a grey area and as already pointed out, in some cultures it's common.

In some professions it's obviously illegal.

Employment contracts are the first point of call. Most however will just have a section om intoxication.

A beer or a glass of wine at lunch is totally fine in my opinion.

livedadream

like most reasonable others have said in ireland it is pretty rare unless the upper echelons are doing it.
ive only come across it in france and australia.
we had a beer fridge in our office in oz and come friday 4pm it was the norm to gather around and have a few beers before heading out for dinner.
i worked in france and it was the norm to have a glass of wine with lunch but lunch was 2 hours long so its not like one or two glasses of wine with your meal will make you tipsy or drunk.

there is however a difference between drinking on the job and getting drunk on the job.

LordSutch

morald wrote: »

Drinking on lunch break...

Its very common in London/England, and almost 'the norm' with some companies. Not so common here in Dublin as I discoverded many years ago on my return, from London

LegacyUser

OP here.

Wow I wasn't expecting so many people to jump down my throat.

In a strange turn of events. Someone else "rat" on them (and me because they thought I was drinking as well) and they have been fired with immediate effect.

I have been disciplined for not bringing it to my managers' attention as it put peoples' lives and the company in danger and apparently I should have known better.

Piggystardust

morald wrote: »

OP here.

Wow I wasn't expecting so many people to jump down my throat.

In a strange turn of events. Someone else "rat" on them (and me because they thought I was drinking as well) and they have been fired with immediate effect.

I have been disciplined for not bringing it to my managers' attention as it put peoples' lives and the company in danger and apparently I should have known better.

I don't believe this for a second to be honest. How did you prove that you weren't drinking? Is there something in their contracts that stated they couldn't consume any alcohol because most contracts only state that you can't be intoxicated during working hours. Were they hammered? I just don't buy this.

I think you didn't like the responses you got here and the implications that you're a rat so you made up this story to justify your stance and make you seem 'right' and the majority of posters wrong.

LegacyUser

Piggystardust wrote: »

I don't believe this for a second to be honest. How did you prove that you weren't drinking? Is there something in their contracts that stated they couldn't consume any alcohol because most contracts only state that you can't be intoxicated during working hours. Were they hammered? I just don't buy this.

I think you didn't like the responses you got here and the implications that you're a rat so you made up this story to justify your stance and make you seem 'right' and the majority of posters wrong.

Excuse me? What could I possibly gain by lying to people on the internet? I simply said I wasn't drinking and the other guys corroborated this. And yes, it is explicitly stated in our contracts that drinking isn't allowed. Apparently, it was put in the contracts after it became the 'norm' to go drinking on lunch breaks.

I actually think it's grossly unfair that they got fired and I'm in the process of looking for another job. I've worked here for 3 years with an impeccable record and don't believe I should have been disciplined for what many here thought there was nothing wrong with.

Ursus Horribilis

Yeah, something doesn't add up here. But at the same time, if you're relying on the advice of random strangers on the Internet after giving them minimal information, then you need to have a think about what way you operate. You never said what the industry was and that makes all the difference. If you read the thread you'll see that some people pointed out that it depended on what the job was. You're always going to get diverse opinions online anyway and you should have the ability to pick from them the advice you think is best.

Piggystardust

If I worked with you I'd rat that you're on the internet during working hours :pac:

Carlos Orange

morald wrote: »

I actually think it's grossly unfair that they got fired and I'm in the process of looking for another job. I've worked here for 3 years with an impeccable record and don't believe I should have been disciplined for what many here thought there was nothing wrong with.

I don't think you ever clarified what drinking meant and what job people were doing. It is kinda difficult to react without meaningful context. I have on very rare occasion had a pint or cocktail at lunch but I work in an office , never public facing and very very rarely meet someone from companies we work with. Very different to an ER nurse downing multiple pints.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

You say you were disciplined? Did you show your manager your post of boards.ie indicating that you were against drinking during lunch hour and seeking advice from others before taking it to your managers attention?

nkav86

morald wrote:

In a strange turn of events. Someone else "rat" on them (and me because they thought I was drinking as well) and they have been fired with immediate effect.

morald wrote:

I have been disciplined for not bringing it to my managers' attention as it put peoples' lives and the company in danger and apparently I should have known better.

morald wrote:

I actually think it's grossly unfair that they got fired and I'm in the process of looking for another job. I've worked here for 3 years with an impeccable record and don't believe I should have been disciplined for what many here thought there was nothing wrong with.

Thinking it was grossly unfair and starting to look for another based on a hard and fast rule, that after 3 years in the company, you should have known is ridiculous.

Regardless of the different department, the company has rules, and clearly it is taken very seriously due to the nature of the position, which you probably should have elaborated on at the start.
Also, thinking your discipline was unjustified due to what strangers on the internet feel is absurd. Anyway OP best of luck!

Piggystardust

In the words of Coloumbo... just one more thing..

If you were with a bunch who were all drinking except for you, who was it that ratted? Hardly one of the lads who'd been drinking. Was it the bartender?
Also, how did they put lives at risk? What job is it you do and how much did these outrageous renegades consume?!:eek: