How long can you go without a drink (water)?

[magicfarawaytreestime]

Got a new colleague who is really struggling with our rules at work. No water/drinks at desks
She is really unhappy about it and keeps going out for a drink, I’ve said you do get used to it but I’m not sure if she will!
curious if others would struggle. It’s 2hrs max between breaks

Is there any reason for that rule? I could go for 2 hours without a drink.

Why is that rule in place?
I could go for two hours without a drink but if it’s hot weather, I’ve been talking loads in meetings I’d want a sip of water for sure

Yes id struggle with this. I tend to sip water all day. I'd end up with a raging headache or a dry mouth if expected to talk. Why no water bottles at your desk? Seems a bit ott.

All day but I wouldn't.

Why can't she use a water bottle with a sports top?

It’s quite outing but it’s partially the owner of the business preference and partially because of the building we are in (they don’t want spills, equipment damaging etc)
you can go out and get water if you need to

You could hold a sports water bottle upside down and it won't spill.

You need to suck it to get liquid out.

I know. But I can’t change the rules! It’s no drinks, no food unless you’re in the canteen

I am no expert, but I am not sure that rule if even legally enforceable.

What's wrong with a sealed bottle at your desk if they're worried about equipment?

Hydration requirements differ between people so 2hrs won't be okay for everyone. If you're allowed to get up whenever you want to get a drink then fine, but stipulating it can only be every 2hrs would likely become a health and safety issue. People vary, size, health conditions, pregnancy, heat conditions etc.

Our church has no toilet so I have to go from a drink at around 11pm the night before, then a sip to take meds at 8am, then nothing until around 2pm.

Yes you can get up to go and get some, no issue
its like rules in a factory I guess - no phones, kindle, Apple Watch, water or food

I used to work in a stately home and there were no drinks allowed. Sometimes much longer than 2 hours between breaks. I never found it a problem to be honest.

There are lots of jobs where you can't drink while you work, factories, laboratories etc, although it seems unusual and OTT for office work it is perfectly manageable for most people to go a couple of hours without a drink of water. But I find it helps me concentrate just having that momentary break to take a sip of water. Also if you are on calls all the time I think you'd need it more.

I guess I’m just curious as I’m a big water/tea drinker but I’ve found it ok. I do find I drink more in the evening now than I used to. Probably have 2 cups of tea and a litre of water in the day

I can sort of see where the business owner is coming from on this (spills on equipment etc.), but I think there has to be a balance.
If people aren’t allowed water at their desks, the natural consequence is going to be that they need to keep getting up to get drinks throughout the day. That’s just basic hydration and I don’t think it’s something you can realistically restrict to set intervals.
So it feels like a bit of a trade-off: either allow water at desks with reasonable precautions (lidded bottles, sensible rules), or accept that staff will be away from their workstations more often to stay hydrated.

A blanket “only every two hours” rule seems a bit impractical in reality, both for wellbeing and productivity and it's also questionable in terms of health and safety.

No blanket rule but your actual breaks/lunch are every 2 hours, if you needed it in between then you can go out and get some

I remember life before the emotional support water bottle (just about).

2hrs is very doable, especially if you actually can go and get a drink in between.

I think that's fair enough then

Is it a call centre environment? If it is you should get 5 mins per hour away from your screen (don't know if that's law or just a policy where I used to work). She could get a drink then. If it's something like a server room then I can sort of see the logic.

I agree tho'; in general it seems like a really heavy handed approach, with a proper lid drinks should be safe enough.

Jesus, I couldn't work there. Like another poster, if I'm not sipping water throughout the day I get a headache and am dehydrated, not health related either.

It's incredibly petty and dangerous, to deny such a thing as water. We are human after all.

Is it a call centre type environment?

I think the modern idea of needing to 'hydrate' every few minutes is BS, unless in a very hot country, going at least an hour without a drink should be no issue at all for a normal adult.

I worked in manufacturing and no food or water was allowed but we had a water station with paper cups off to the side. cups were cones so couldn’t be left down, it worked fine.

I would struggle - my mouth gets dry very quickly.

I would really struggle with this, especially in the hot weather. It really depends whether it is absolutely essential that no water is drunk for health and safety purposes or if the business owner is being overly precious. Either way I don’t this this is hugely fair on staff.

I think only working for 2 hours and then allowed a break is fine. How long are the breaks every 2 hours OP?