4pm on Fridays

[jgw1]

AIBU to think that having wine time every Friday whether or not one is working hard and whether or not there is a pandemic is wrong and should not have been permitted in Downing Street?

I've never worked anywhere where this has been a thing, although my current employer sometimes organises a drinks trolley for a special birthday or similar.

If they’ve finished work I don’t care. And as long as they weren’t inviting people in from
outside I don’t care in the covid context either. If they invited others in that’s where the problem is.

I work in higher education and we've clocked off at 4pm for a quick drink. Happens about 3 or 4 times a year and is usually a half pint since we all drive. If we worked somewhere with public transport it would probably be more often and last for a few more drinks.

Finance sector still do 4pm drinks unless on trading floor.

I would be sacked and frogmarched out immediately if I drank on my job, but we have had drinks at the end, and if we had an early finish, yes in theory we would have a glass of fizz. I have to confess the pictures of the PM 'partying' looks very much like my office and meeting rooms, with the tray of sandwiches (now individual but used to be on a platter due to covid), jugs of orange and when drinks when needed wine and cake as well. Occasionally people would still be working. People coming and going.

I don't think there should be alcohol in an office fridge or a regular drinking culture established. Some people do not need to have drinking alcohol every Friday normalised, some may drink when they have a car, or be put in a stressful situation if they are recovering from a drinking problem. The invitation to go to a pub together - great.

The one thing we never have his hot supper/dinner party together or anything unless it is Christmas. It is always sandwiches, someone brings in cake or biscuits. We also had zoom quiz afternoons and wine in the pandemic thinking about it, but only a few.

Soft drinks are always available badlife and we found most people wanted to get home rather than go out drinking, but didn't mind sharing one drink before leaving. Most of us have families and partners.

This!

it has certainly never been in my workplaces.

Those days went in the 1980s.

Agree with this. Not sensitive to Muslim staff either.

I couldn’t care less about them drinking in the office at 4pm on a Friday in general - maybe they had worked until 8 or 9 every other night, who knows.
BUT
The Prime Minister breaking rules he made.
Lying about to Parliament.
Telling ordinary people their relatives had to die alone.
Junior staff fined while senior ones got away with it.
The most incriminating party for Johnson not even investigated.

That’s what I’m angry about.

I work with lots of Muslim colleagues and they could not care less if people have a drink!! Seriously why frame it that way, as if they are all secretly gasping for a glass of warm wine?! They are certainly not, and quite happy to let others crack on. You bring in a delicious brownies straight out of the oven whilst they are fasting and you might have a point!

I don't think eating cake and drinking a glass of wine was against any rules that I remember. The whole thing is an utter farce.

Occasional treat yes. Every Friday, no. Other issues apart, you risk creating a drinking culture which could be dangerous for a number of reasons.

People are adults dash they can work out whether a glass of wine on a Friday is an issue for them or not

Why is everyone in this country treated like a small child unable to figure out things for themselves. I assume they have voices in their heads that will say it will be an orange for me this evening thanks Hugh/Jane.

The UK has turned into a ghastly nanny state on steroids and it has become even worse since the pandemic. People are responsible for themselves. Full stop.

Not in my industry. There’s a drinks trolley over in one corner and wine and beer fridge. No one drinks during the day but if were here late, I could crack on. And anytime after around 4pm on a Friday. We have themed Friday drinks - it’s the juniors job to think of a current theme.

Same. Central London property investment.

Almost all good deals are done in the pub because it's not what you know, it's definitely who you know.

But I agree that people who run the country probably shouldn't be making decisions when drinking but I assume they're not actually working during wine time.

I'm NHS so definitely not a thing here (complete ban on drinking alcohol on site). I do find it quite ridiculous though that part of Johnson's excuse is how hard and what ridiculous hours they were all working at No 10, yet Wine Time Friday was a standing invite for 4pm every week! I wish!

I do find it quite ridiculous though that part of Johnson's excuse is how hard and what ridiculous hours they were all working at No 10, yet Wine Time Friday was a standing invite for 4pm every week! I wish!

It would be quite usual in some industries to work late Mon-Thurs, but log off at 4pm on Friday. Then also do work over the weekend. So that doesn't strike me as odd.

I think that if a commercial organisation wants to allow Wine Time Fridays or similar that's fine, it's totally up to them and its their money that is being wasted. But when your organisation is funded by taxpayers, then the taxpayer is entitled to expect that those working there will be working their contracted hours and won't be knocking off early to neck alcohol.

In fact, thinking about it, every job I've had has had an official finish time of 4pm Friday, which is much trumpeted at interview, but equally official working hours mean nothing at all.

Same.

Some people haven't worked in proper professional jobs and it shows

Standard in the offices I worked in. Obviously not so much now I’m a teacher!

Some people haven't worked in proper professional jobs and it shows

If that was meant for me I was a lawyer in a previous life and am now a senior manager in the NHS!

Believe me, I've done plenty of wine time Fridays in my day but certainly no regular 4pm finishes on a Friday during Covid, nor now we're in recovery mode.

Certainly does. How can anyone think they are doing a professional job if they need to drink part way through the working day?

We operate machinery at work, it is a manufacturing factory. Alcohol is a no go onsite.

We finish at 1 on Fridays anyway and there is a pub over the road.