To buy 17yo work colleague drinks?

[user5058]

Work night out coming up. 1 colleague is 17, a few months off 18.

Another colleague has gone on all week about how it's bad that any of us would buy her drinks when out. Since she's gone on all week, everyone's said they're not happy to buy her a drink. I'm the only one who's stuck with that I'd be fine going up to buy them for her (I'm not much older!).

It seems a bit unfair for this colleague to go round telling everyone how bad it is to buy her them, she'd be happy for her to not come out when she's the only colleague who isn't 18.

AIBU to be happy buying her a couple of drinks?

OP from your replies, you seem to think it's ok and are planning to do it regardless of anyone's answer 🙄

Well you better hope she doesn't get drunk or end up being pulled by police or a paramedic because first question after "what's your age?" Will be "how did you get the alcohol" be prepared to be thrown under a bus...

As a personal licence holder I'd throw you all out of I caught a whiff of you supplying alcohol and then phone all the other bars and clubs in the area to let them know. I wouldn't want a fine and a criminal offence charge all because "you think she's sensible". My personal licence is needed for my job, if I loose it, I loose my job.

Is it an official works night out or just a group of workmates going out for a drink? If its the former then no don't as you could be disciplined. Doesn't she have a fake I.D or can she borrow one. Thats what most people that age do.

TBH if she looks old enough, especially if she’s on a work night out with older colleagues, she will probably get served anyway, so she could buy her own?

@sweeneytoddsrazor just going for drinks!

Well you are supplying a.minor with alcohol, which is illegal

This.

I've managed teams where one or some are under 18. It's difficult. It's against the law if not with a meal. That bit is simple. I made it clear that if colleagues chose to buy them drinks after the meal, I will have left so not something I would 'liable' for. Equally I would not guarantee that I wouldn't have to go through disciplinary procedures if others did.

Eg, 17 yo gets very drunk, very ill and unusually sick. ? Drugged? Complains to work and wants an investigation.

Another colleague complains about behaviour and ?? Why other colleagues buying underage alcohol. I would have to investigate.

It's a fucking minefield and I would not put myself in a position where I knew alcohol was being bought for underage staff. That's why having a meal works well with a small ish team, you can stay at the table most of the night and then disappear before anything gets out of hand.

@sweenytoddsrazor there is normally a phrase in contracts of employment that state its a disciplinary offence to bring the company into disrepute. Whether it’s a works do or not, if a group of you get caught doing something you shouldn’t and they know where you work for example it could bring about repercussions.

Not the point I know, but it's crazy that she could get married, drive a car, join the army and (in theory) be sent to a war zone, but she can't have a pint of shandy.

Even further off the point you cannot get sent to a war zone u TIL you are 18 or over....

I would not buy her alcohol though, it’s ilegal and it might backfire.

If you’re only 18/19 yourself, then I can appreciate it doesn’t seem like a massive deal to you

Also this, you say you're not much older, so you're what, something like 19 or 18 yourself?
I used to go out drinking at 18 round town, with a friend a little bit younger and not quite 18.
I'd probably have been the same mindset as you.
Now I'm older though, I'm of the opinion it's a bloody stupid thing to do - you might think she'll be sensible etc, that's not the point though - if she gets caught drinking underage you'll be in the shit too!
It's illegal to buy drinks if you're on a drinking night out round the pubs for a minor.

Licencing is a lot stricter now and therefore so are bar staff and managers, I do not want up to a £20,000 fine or 6 months in prison so someone underage can not feel left out.
Be prepared to have it taken off her and tipped down the sink - and no you won't get a refund - if someone comes round glass collecting and spots she's drinking and she can't provide ID. And then probably get thrown out.
The law has made people like me responsible for other people's drinking and penchant for breaking the law where alcohol is concerned, I don't like it but it is what it is and I do my damnest to make sure the law is stuck to because if the place I work loses it's license then we're all out of a job. Plus I don't really want a fine/criminal record for someone else's actions.
If it happened and you argued the toss with me as well I'd be very tempted to report it to the police as well tbh, though admittedly it probably wouldn't be high on their priorities, but you can also end up with a fine and criminal record too.

As a personal licence holder I'd throw you all out of I caught a whiff of you supplying alcohol and then phone all the other bars and clubs in the area to let them know. I wouldn't want a fine and a criminal offence charge all because "you think she's sensible". My personal licence is needed for my job

This.

TBH if she looks old enough, especially if she’s on a work night out with older colleagues, she will probably get served anyway, so she could buy her own?

I don't know anywhere that wouldn't ID anyone who looked under 25 now. Not worth the consequences of serving someone underage. Most young people know they need ID.

Depends upon whether those buying her a drink are prepared to remain stone cold sober all night to ensure she gets home safely or not.

17 year olds can misjudge the amount they can drink/get drunk very easily when other people are buying them drinks because they don't have the experience of knowing when they've had enough just like a lot of adults. If you're going to be one of the people potentially making this a possible result, it's really your responsibility to take steps to ensure that you can look after her if it goes wrong.

One of my old boyfriends was summoned to meet me from a works do in similar circumstances - I realised, five drinks in, that the youngest employee had been bought drinks by half the office and was absolutely totalled. No cab firm would take him and I knew it was two trains and a bus to get home - not something for a paralytic seventeen year old to be left to manage by himself after midnight.

The people who bought the drinks found it funny. Until I presented them with the bill for valeting the boyfriend's car, as the lad chucked up just as we got round the corner from his parents' house. Our boss paid the bill in the end and it was conveyed to all staff that buying 'children' alcohol was a really bad idea. I wouldn't have been such an arse about it had I not resented the way they didn't care what happened to him, as long as they got their entertainment from seeing him drunk (and baffled as to why, when I'd been drinking myself, I was still apparently the only Responsible Adult in the group).

Tl;dr. It's a really bad idea to buy alcohol unless you remain completely sober and look after them all night, up to and including getting them home safely.