To think sacking someone for drinker idiocy at the Christmas party is a bit harsh?

[andapartridgeinaRowantree]

DH works for a company which put on an annual Christmas shebang with free drinks all night. It's for staff and big clients.

A colleague got drunk and was warned a couple of times to calm down.

He then did the caterpillar and cracked his two front teeth.

Returned to work and was told to pack his desk. He was not a permanent staff member.

Is it me or is this a bit harsh?

Told to chill twice though. Which means he must have been pretty OTT.

It is why I hate attending PTA events and social functions at school, the threat of my actions or words coming back to bite me in the arse. It is harsh, but he misunderstood the nature of the event. I assume he's quite young?

I tend to think that whoever blurred the lines between an office Xmas party and a client schmooze should be sacked, but the perpetrator also had it coming.

Part the boss fault for mixing free booze and clients without prewarning staff to be on their best behaviour.

Part the blokes fault for not heading warnings.

I feel for the bloke, broken teeth, lost his job and has to face his family just before xmas.

Overall harsh to sack him.

I have a vague feeling there's some legal comeback if you have an accident and the company supplied the drinks...could be wrong but I think so.

If he didn't realise the free booze was for the clients benefit and he had to still be in work mode to an extent then he wasn't in the right job anyway, unless he was a graduate?

Not at all harsh. It's a work do. Especially if her had been warned a couple times, get pissed if you like but know there is a risk and you'll look a twat.

All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth

I'm surprised how many of you think it is OK to behave like a twat at a work do..just consulted with DH who agrees with the op that the boss was being harsh..

Must be a British thing

I remember when I was working at my Xmas do we (the company) ended up being banned fromthe vvenue and chucked out lol.

It was all the managers faults though. One was married and got off with a young 17 year old staff member, another passed out in the loo and another lost her handbag and got it back with sick in it lol. The NMW staff where the best behaved lol.

sorry posted to soon meant to say YANBU but I do agree that clients being present might of changed things. Depends on the company really.

I think as there were clients there, he brought it on himself really.

A works funded party? It must have been if clients were there.

He was warned but continued? Gross miss conduct &/or bringing the firm into disrepute.

If any of those big clients withdraw their business and pput your job at risk of redundancy will you still feel so much sympathy for your ex collegue?

Perfectly reasonable.

I was a client at a party hosted to try and gain my company's business once. A lot of money at stake for client. The CEO got wasted and climbed up large plant pot. No kidding. He did not get my seal of approval and project went to rival firm.

In vino veritas.

People need to either handle their drink or not drink in work situations.

The company I work for has a Christmas party code of conduct. As ours are out of the building we're reminded that we're representing the company & you can be disciplined for any untoward behaviour. If it was me I'd claim my caterpillar was an elaborate fall.

I'm always amazed when people drink so heavily at work dos that they lose control. It's a work event, not a night out with your mates. Surely if you are taken aside and told to calm down the sensible thing to do is leave? Then again I think that the boss should have ordered a taxi and sent him home if it was likely that the drunkard was making a total fool of himself (and by extension the company). It does sound as if he was very drunk (or an idiot or both!)

Just because the booze is free doesn't mean you have to neck it.

I don't know about this one - I don't think alcohol and work mix particularly well. It's hard to respect someone when you've seen them falling about drunk.
It does seem that some people, when faced with alcohol, lose complete control of their senses.
I would say YABU because we all have personal responsibility and there are always consequences to getting hammered - sometimes just a hangover, but sometimes serious damage is done to personal and professional relationships.

I'm sorry but who needs to be warned in advance not to drink too much at a work event?

IT'S A WORK EVENT!

You drink enough to be sociable (ie so you're not refusing all drink unless you're driving) and no more, surely. I absolutely do not understand why people get so drunk at work events. You are still representing your company.

Beaverfeaver, Laughing at the pictures of erect penises! I also laughed at that poor chap doing the caterpillar and cracking his teeth.

He does sound like he was being a dick, but on the other hand, I can think of things that would be far worse. It does sound a bit ott, even if clients were there. Maybe your boss wanted an excuse to get rid of him anyway, and this was the perfect excuse.

If he was on contract rather than a permanent member of staff, most likely there was an instant dismissal clause for any behaviour that could bring the company into disrepute. Hell a contractor can be dismissed with zero reason at all if they feel like it, they just have to be paid the notice period (bitter voice of experience).

Unfortunately in the current economic climate there are so many people chasing every contract that unless he was an exceptional specialist the company will have a replacement in place come second week in January.

I have limited sympathy. It seems harsh but, it was a works do, he was warned twice and chose to continue drinking and behaving like an idiot. Just because the drink is free doesn't mean you have to drink enough to sink a battleship. He should have reigned it in when he was warned the first time.

Is he sending the bill for the dental work to your company? I'm sure I've read somewhere that if the company is supplying the venue and free booze they are as liable as if it was in the office and he was injured.