Can you drink at work?

[MayorDusty]

I was listening to something about parliament and the free booze and it got me thinking.
I'd be sacked and I don't work with machinery or driving. Most people I know wouldn't be allowed apart from one who works in a pub and then it's a two drink maximum.
What jobs/industries still allow alcohol consumption?
Can you drink and what's the job?

Worked in the City and Fleet St from mid 70s to early 2000s. Drinking was certainly quite a big thing in the early days and there was even a degree of tolerance for um, lack of sobriety. ("Go home and sleep it off, old chap.")
i think that depending on the organisation, nowadays the odd lunchtime drink would be ok, as long as you were not affected in any way. Of course quite a few especially U.S. owned organisations have a 'no alcohol at all during working hours' policy.
Client/work lunches are similarly much more restrained.

My husband works in tech and his last 2 offices had beer fridges in them which were kept stocked. It was an unwritten rule that they weren't opened until 4pm and you couldn't be "under the influence" when working but you could drink at your desk.

I'm NHS, I absolutely cannot drink at work, or in my lunch hour, or Christmas lunch.

I’m local government too - no drinking at work any more. We used to have eg Christmas lunches starting with drinks in the office, but no longer. We also used to get a “free” half day for the Christmas lunch so that we could go to the pub and not come back. Even going out for lunch with work colleagues is now usually alcohol-free. After work is a different story, but that’s on your own time.

We had a new manager come in who had previously worked in Whitehall, and he authorised an evening drinks do in the office. Complaints were received afterwards (from uninvited teams) and he was quietly told not to do it again. This was approx 3 years ago. Not counting that time, the last occasion before that was Christmas 2007, and again, we were told not to do it again.

Well I'm not going to name them! But they're in Manchester.

We can get wine with a meal in our work canteen. I'm not in the UK though. I have never seen a colleague drunk at work - or outside come to think of it, it's a different culture here

My Father in law’s father worked in the mills in Sheffield back in the day - they actually employed a lad to bring the workers beer/ale to drink! 10 pints was nothing apparently.

DH often has boozy lunches. Corporate law

@Nailest It was a small pub in the middle of the industrial area, we had a split stable door for the off sales that started at 10am. 11.45 my Mum, Aunt and the bar lady would start pulling pints and lining them up ready for 12 and the rolling mill starting lunch.
It would be solid until 2pm when all the different shops had finished and you'd be amazed at how much they could get in. Then stroll back seemingly sober and work.
like those competitive eating things it was a mission.

Not at all where I work now - a primary school.
Completely unacceptable in the business we used to run which was working on cars.

Before that, about 20 years ago, I worked in an auctioneers. I went to one business meeting and we had a 7 course meal with different wines. I was about 20 at the time and absolutely smashed by the time it was home time. It was amazing 😁. I didn't get into trouble either.

I remember going to the pub when I was in 6th form and there being teachers in there, so that was 22 years ago.

I do think Westminster is a legacy issue - if you were setting up a legislature building / workplace now it would be more like in Wales where the bar doesn’t open until 6pm I understand.

Don't be ridiculous. Her husband works there so it could be identifying of her. Posters on here won't even say what their husbands hobbies are, so expecting people to post the names of companies where people work is bonkers.

If she says it happens at the company, why can't you just accept it. It doesn't sound beyond the realms of possibility to me.

The boss normally brings in a bottle of fizz on someone's birthday. There are six of us, we have a glass with lunch. That's all.

I used to work in the commercial offices of a large UK company that you will all have heard of, and often travelled overseas on their business. There was a strong drinking culture and not doing so was the exception. Only very senior management had access to alcohol on the premises but the rest of us took a long lunch break on a Friday. Wining and dining overseas visitors was part of the job, too.

I used to work in retail for a large well known company. And we often went to pub when had hour lunch. Had maybe 2 or 3 drinks.
Xmas lunch in staff room was flowing wine. And apparently still is as have friends who still work there. The worst were management. I remember one manager being laid in sick room for hours to sober up before the late night opening

Academic here. There are no specific rules against it and I know colleagues who go to the pub occasionally at lunchtime, but I’m sure you wouldn’t find people rocking up to lectures tipsy!

Financial Technology. A stocked fridge of beer and wine next to the soft drinks fridge. Technically meant to be a Thursday thing but as long as people don't take liberties it's not frowned upon any day if people have a couple later in the day.

Likewise if you go for a team lunch there is no issue as long as you're able to do your job back in the office after lunch.

It's certainly not as common as it used to be but guess it's down to how employers micromanage staff or think they can or can't be trusted

Beer on tap for refreshment while at work in the steel industry and other similar hard physical jobs in hot environments like glassmaking was widespread historically.

It won't have been particularly strong and I think they sweated it out rather than got drunk and even the delivery drivers were offered a pint while picking up and dropping off.

We do a lot of consultancy to such businesses and older colleagues have fond memories of visiting to meet their contacts over a pint or two, like visitors would be offered tea or coffee now.

I'm a TA in a primary school, so hard no from me xx

Not at all at parties if they are held onsite.

we can get away with some extremely light consumption, as in 1-2 mild drinks max, if we have an official Christmas party or a summer bbq on a weekend offsite.

I work in advertising and drinking is pretty normal. We often get taken on lunches by media owners and there are parties etc. Also been known to have a few drinks in the office on a Thurs/Fri afternoon.