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Lunchtime Pints at work, why not in Ireland?

Your Superior

Working in Manchester and London this week, and most days the people I am working or meeting with go out for a pint or two(or a glass of wine) at lunchtime before going back to work for the afternoon. To me this has always been the norm, but it also made me realise that in about 25 years of work visits to Ireland, I've never known anyone to go to the pub for a swift lunchtime drink and meal.

Why is this? Does nobody pop out just for one or two drinks(well, usually 4 or 5 on a friday)?

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sbsquarepants

Your Superior wrote: »

It's £2.20 a pint here.

You could have hit the nail on the head there. If you were to go out for a carvery and a pint every day here it would cost you in the region of €250 - €300 a month. You could buy yourself a nice car with that!

buggy beag

Same in germany was there few years ago seen a workman getting 6 beers at lunchtime said to my friend look at your man hes going to get locked but she said no that hes down to get everyone at the site one beer each they drink that then back to work

the evasion_kid

A lot of the time it doesn't stop at one,people want to hit their buzz level, you'd think in this country it wouldn't be too looked down on,but I'd have to say the Canadians are absolute hoors for drinking on the job.

William F

It's the same reason we don't drink in parks or by the river, with the exception of Portobello Bridge or the Spanish Arch at summer, it's because there's a cultural awareness of our destructive drinking habit.

somesoldiers

Your Superior wrote: »

It's £2.20 a pint here.

Typical order by a bunch of English
"A lager top,
A lager Shandy,
A lager and lime"
waits til these have been served
"oh and 18 Guinness (es)"
"and a dandelion & burdocks"

why do ye feel the need to cocktail everything up, is it the James Bond influence?

The Backwards Man

Your Superior wrote: »

What an absolute load of codswallop.

Is it? As others have asked, why bother having a pint at all then?

Frynge

As i few people have said they would get fired if they did it. The main reason for this is us irish are great for being given an inch and taking a mile. Most people would be fine to have one or two drinks with their lunch and go back to the office and work but there are then the other minority who will have four pints and a double g&t then head back 15 min late stinking out the office with drink and also being inebriated. For that reason their is generally a blanket rule of no drinking while in work. For smaller companies/offices it is sometimes an ok thing to do but as an office gets bigger. It can quickly lead to abuse.

Slightly off topic but we used to host lunches for the county council once a month and one of the councilors used to drink 8 vodkas with two cokes in the space of 45 min and not a bother.

Your Superior

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Is it? As others have asked, why bother having a pint at all then?

Because it tastes nice? Why bother eating good food when cheap processed rubbish will fill you up just the same? I'd much rather have a good glass of wine with my lunch, it compliments the flavours far better than a glass of water or, heaven forbid, a pint of milk, would.

MonkeyTennis

Used to do this on fridays but it just seems to have gone out of fashion. Never had more than two pints.

somesoldiers

Your Superior wrote: »

Because it tastes nice? Why bother eating good food when cheap processed rubbish will fill you up just the same? I'd much rather have a good glass of wine with my lunch, it compliments the flavours far better than a glass of water or, heaven forbid, a pint of milk, would.

good for you, why did you open a thread asking for people's habits when you are knocking back everyone that doesn't tally with yours?

The Backwards Man

Your Superior wrote: »

Because it tastes nice? Why bother eating good food when cheap processed rubbish will fill you up just the same? I'd much rather have a good glass of wine with my lunch, it compliments the flavours far better than a glass of water or, heaven forbid, a pint of milk, would.

That's the most childish reasoning I've ever heard.

Surely there's a multitude of other things that you enjoy doing that you have refrain from when you're working?

dilallio

Back in the eighties, all pubs in dublin had to close their bars for one hour - it was either 2pm or 3pm as lunchtime drinking was judged to be impacting productivity.
It was known as holy hour.

valoren

I've done this when working in London and Birmingham.
It was office IT work and it was always on a Friday, never midweek.
Always in a group and a regular thing in the summer.

It's not something I'd do here to be honest, the afternoon's seemed to be a long slog after a couple of pints. And productivity was pretty much non-existant across the board.

It's gross misconduct here in general. It is a drug after all.
If someone was known to be shooting up or snorting a line in the jacks they'd be sacked.

Your Superior

Frynge wrote: »

As i few people have said they would get fired if they did it. The main reason for this is us irish are great for being given an inch and taking a mile. Most people would be fine to have one or two drinks with their lunch and go back to the office and work but there are then the other minority who will have four pints and a double g&t then head back 15 min late stinking out the office with drink and also being inebriated. For that reason their is generally a blanket rule of no drinking while in work. For smaller companies/offices it is sometimes an ok thing to do but as an office gets bigger. It can quickly lead to abuse.

Slightly off topic but we used to host lunches for the county council once a month and one of the councilors used to drink 8 vodkas with two cokes in the space of 45 min and not a bother.

We have 4 offices worldwide, and each of them has a fridge with beer and wine stocked so that people can get a drink if they feel like it. Nobody abuses it. Only person that ever did was a young apprentice who started sneaking a few cans in to his back to take home, but that was 15 years ago. He got told not to take the piss, stopped and still works for us.

NachoBusiness

Cause Irish people get the ride on them when they have pints. They'd come back to the office and all start riding each other. Do you really want a situation where you walk into a solicitor's office or a bank at 3pm and just see one big filth fest? It'd be the ruin of the country. Nah, drink at night when there's plenty of time afterwards to be ateing schlapping one another.

Your Superior

The Backwards Man wrote: »

That's the most childish reasoning I've ever heard. Surely there's a multitude of other things that you enjoy doing that you have refrain from when you're working?

At lunchtime I'm not working, nor are my members of staff. It's their own time. As long as people are responsible adults, there is no problem. In the UK, Singapore and Panama there has never been a single case of someone coming in to work at one of our offices in the afternoon unable to do their job. Perhaps they are just more secure in their relationship with alcohol.

barry181091

Your Superior wrote: »

At lunchtime I'm not working, nor are my members of staff. It's their own time. As long as people are responsible adults, there is no problem. In the UK, Singapore and Panama there has never been a single case of someone coming in to work in the afternoon unable to do their job. Perhaps they are just more secure in their relationship with alcohol.

Where in gods name did you get that blanket statement from!? CSO!? :pac:

Your Superior

barry181091 wrote: »

Where in gods name did you get that blanket statement from!? CSO!? :pac:

Apologies, just edited it to include "at one of our offices"

and I've not even had a drink yet!

ThinkProgress

If I was working saturdays, I used to have one pint.

But could always keep it at just the one... makes you feel less angry about working on the weekend.

Of course it wasn't really acceptable behavior, but sometimes you gotta just say f*ck the man and his arbitrary rules trying to govern every aspect of my existence! (usually just the shorter expletive though - f*ck it i'm havin' wan!) haha

The Backwards Man

Being able to do your job and doing your job to the best of your ability are two different things.

ISOP

Irish people can't control themselves when it comes to drinking.

Your Superior

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Being able to do your job and doing your job to the best of your ability are two different things.

And people are more likely to perform to the best of their ability in an environment that treats them as adults. I've had a business for over 20 years, and that philosophy seems to have served me well so far.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

I would never want to drink and work.

I'm either all in or I'm all out.

The Backwards Man

Your Superior wrote: »

And people are more likely to perform to the best of their ability in an environment that treats them as adults. I've had a business for over 20 years, and that philosophy seems to have served me well so far.

As an adult, I like to think that I am mature enough to abstain from mind altering substances when I'm on the clock. But that's just me.

Your Superior

The Backwards Man wrote: »

As an adult, I like to think that I am mature enough to abstain from mind altering substances when I'm on the clock. But that's just me.

Yeah, we should stop people having coffee too...

Paramite Pie

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Work when you're working, drink when you're drinking. If you can't separate them it's time to give one of them up.

It's that attitude that's our problem - separation. Drinking shouldn't be an event in itself, it should be integrated more as part of social events rather than the main attraction.

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I think that's the nonsensical attitude to be honest. Alcohol is a drug, the point in taking any drug is to feel it's effects - if you aren't going to feel the effect you may as well drink water or a cup of tea.

A pint can be very refreshing on a summers day. I can drink one pint and stop there, doesn't feel like a waste to me if I enjoy it. The effects of alcohol can also be subtle and relaxing.

The idea that you can only drink for the buzz is not only a childish one but also a worrying one. Let's face it, most people don't stop when their buzzing... they keep going until they're absolutely sh*tfaced.

The Moldy Gowl

I have pondered it long and hard over water.

If it was nice beer that's enjoyable to drink, then half a pint would be pleasent.
A nice beer, not a heino or a bud. The drinks people drink to get drunk.

the dark phantom

William F wrote: »

It's the same reason we don't drink in parks or by the river, with the exception of Portobello Bridge or the Spanish Arch at summer, it's because there's a cultural awareness of our destructive drinking habit.

Ah now, Loads of folk drink in parks here. :pac:

keano_afc

I work in Blackrock and since Witherspoons have moved in my liquid lunch quota has gone from never to often.

MonkeyTennis

The Backwards Man wrote: »

As an adult, I like to think that I am mature enough to abstain from mind altering substances when I'm on the clock. But that's just me.

Ehm..Coffee?