Work party disaster who was at fault

[Heredakh]

A company is reaching an important milestone in its history and planning an event. Small company of about 50 people.

Event is dinner then entertainment and drinks/ dancing at a hired venue. Ahead of the event, colleagues are told what to expect, that some clients will be there too and to therefore enjoy but behave accordingly etc (it was implied not to get blind drunk but not explicitly said)

Colleague A is relatively new to the business and still in probation but doing good job. They are told about the event like everyone else.

On the night the free booze is flowing like it often is at these kind of events and it becomes apparent colleague A is enjoying the booze a lot but as this is their first time drinking in front of other colleagues, people aren't aware when to step in or that it could lead to big issues (some people can drink loads with no issue, some can't etc) plus everyone else is drinking too, although a bit more moderately.

As night wears on (when some people had already headed home) colleague A reveals themselves as quite a rude and obnoxious drunk, they offend a long standing client, an older colleague then vomit on senior leaders shoes.

Not sure how it played out beyond that but a few days later back at work there's an email that colleague A is no longer in the business.

I've been shocked by the whole thing and wondering who was more at fault? Should colleague A have curbed the drinking on the night or should company not have had so much free alcohol on offer? Its a recipe for disaster if you don't know when to stop drinking but equally moderate drinkers are entitled to some free drinks to enjoy themselves surely?

YABU - the company's free booze is to blame, its a recipe for disaster that they should have seen coming

YANBU - colleague A should have acted accordingly and known when to stop at a work event

I'd say it would have been more than just that incident that made her leave?

It's hugely embarrassing of course, but she was new and inexperienced and I'd think a verbal warning or possible ban on attending further client events which have alcohol would suffice.

She clearly didn't set out to get blasted and vomit on the boss! She may have never drank before.

It's still her fault what she did but with mitigation.

Of course if it was an indication of her wider unprofessionalism then I guess that's fair enough to sack her.

This thread has definitely given me a warning.

I have a works do with a free bar next month. I can't handle a lot of drink.

A couple too many and I would be shitfaced.

Free bars can be very tempting and lure people in after their hard work all year.

I've no idea if colleague A had other incidents or issues to their name. They seemed like good colleague, just couldn't handle drink

It's the fact it was an official work event, with clients present, not an after party at a club after the Christmas dinner. One of my team a good few years ago was sick out of the door of a taxi on the way home, (I was in the same cab) and another got told off and about thrown out for jumping on a podium for singers/guitarists and pretending he was going to strip (he only took off his jumper) while the crowd cheered him on. HOWEVER this was a colleagues' social not paid for by work and no clients present after we'd been for our work Christmas dinner, also not organised or funded by the company. It was the early hours of the morning in a club known for excellent bands and thirty year old sticky carpet. It was kind of to be expected. Both were mortified the next Monday at work, but we laughed about it.
If it had been a corporate event, if it was a new and inexperienced member of staff I might've either stepped in myself or asked someone she was friendly with, just to say to her you need to slow down there are clients here it's not that kind of do, but I don't think there's any obligation to do that or any fault on the company providing alcoholic drinks to adults.

Now I'm older I would definitely know not to over do it at any work event but in my twenties I didn't have the life experience to know that. My parents definitely didn't know to advise me about things like this. It would have been better for a colleague or mentor to explain this properly before the event to the younger employees. I've told all my kids this kind of thing to help them but not everyone has that kind of guidance. I agree that some sort of disciplinary would be appropriate but not dismissal unless it happened again

I have one drink max at work events. Seen too many colleagues make fools of themselves

Pfft.

Old enough to drink should be old enough to know that drinking with colleagues and in front of works clients whilst still on probation = moderately, don't make a holy show of yourself.

Played stupid games, won stupid prizes.

The Colleague's fault, however unless there were other issues, then I think sacking was harsh. A quiet word of "this is not what we do here," would probably have stopped it happening again.
However you don't know that they were sacked for that. Maybe they were embarrassed and quit.

A lot might depend on what they said.

So if the client was gay, for example, and they said something homophobic I'd expect that to be handled more harshly.

I do think the presence of clients turns it into official entertainment and most people would be very careful what they drink.

Bit different from the company Christmas party where no clients are there.

Sacking seems excessive - unless maybe the client pulled all business or something as a result?

No excusing colleague A. You can accidently get drunk, you can accidentally vomit, both could potentially be got past, but you can't accidentally be rude to people. Drunk or sober rudeness to clients would rarely be condoned.

It's possible to have a lot to drink without becoming rude and obnoxious, and it's possible to moderate the amount you drink however much is available. Colleague A needs to take personal responsibility.

Well unless you kink the thread no one can comment. Because we can't see what the context and content of the thread was. And I would assume it was probably different people answering.

But its weird to, several years later to use another story to prove a point.

As an aside I think its entirely the colleagues fault. However, I know plenty of people that would bend over backwards to blame the employer in these situations. So it doesn't surprise me people would have differing opinions

I would only have sympathy if the colleague was underage.

Person A’s fault for sure. Personal responsibility and all that. As you say, no one else was in the same position.

Whether it’s a sackable offence or not, I wouldn’t have thought so as an isolated incident, but you don’t know if anything else has gone on behind the scenes.

Embarrassing though!

At our work parties we have to pay for booze ourselves, although at the Christmas lunch there is wine on the table (not much!), then we decamp to the pub. Boss buys a round for everyone, has one drink with us and then leaves. It can get pretty heavy but generally those who stay til the end are all in a similar position. Crucially it’s an informal get together, no clients around at all so people can let their guard down.
Would be entirely unprofessional to behave like that with importantly people about.
When we have events with our clients we will all generally have one or two drinks with dinner and during the socialising part, then decamp to other staffs rooms to have a proper party away from them!

I've found that events with free booze always degenerate into a complete clusterfuck for at least one person - whether they have a drink problem, are anxious so drink a bit too much, too fast, turn out to be a complete lightweight or just misjudge things; it's the fact that there's no limit in terms of having to pay for what they're drinking that makes it pretty much inevitable, even before you add in factors like other staff deliberately plying them with drinks, getting them doubles instead of singles, old fashioned drinking culture peer pressure or anything more sinister.

Yes, it is fundamentally down to the individual, but I don't think the unlimited alcohol on offer helps matters.

The 'clients are attending, don't forget' is clearly based upon many years of experience - you'd have thought they'd have learned by now that staff+unlimited free alcohol+clients = absolute fucking disaster.

At our last works do, one of my female colleagues started to hump and grind on everyone, men and women on the dance floor. She was nearly riding them.

She was shitfaced.

Luckily I don't think our manager saw her at her worst, as he was standing with his back turned at the bar.

I worked in PR we were told that at Christmas party they were providing and encouraging drinking and as such no one would be in trouble for getting drunk.

Colleague A is responsible for their actions They were at a work event and as such still under a code of conduct

A colleague of mine was sacked from actions at a works christmas do

interesting several posters have assumed colleague was a woman when OP has gone to pains not to specify their sex.

I think it's colleague's fault, but would have slightly more sympathy if they were young/inexperienced. I've never been on a works night out where clients have been there as well, so perhaps they didn't quite 'get' the expectations.

I don't think anyone should get fired for what they do outside work though. The man in your post wasn't at his workplace when that happened

it was not outside of work, it literally WAS work for a start.

There are plenty jobs where you will be held accountable for your behaviour outside of the work place and working hours. And that's only right!

Imagine vomiting on senior leader’s shoes. Stuff of legend that is. Colleague’s fault though.

It is quite funny that they vomited on the managers shoes.

Now that's a story!

Everyone was briefed on clients also attending and to nit go mental with the booze. I'd therefore see this as still working, and not really an out of work celebration. My work persona would still be switched on and I'd only be drinking very lightly, probably heading home fairly early.

This would be the personal responsibility I took for myself to keep my behaviour on track.

Unless this was colleague A's very first taste of a night out and booze, then they should already know how they can/can't handle alcohol and adjust their intake to ensure they still remain in their job.

To me, it's nice the company provided this celebration and put on alcohol. It was to be enjoyed, not abused. The company shouldn't be held responsible for not nannying adults. Adults are responsible for themselves.

Yeah I guess it depends on the workplace.

My workplace kind of encourages boozy socialising at work events.

I've been to work events, clients were there.

And most of my colleagues were very very drunk. No one cared

We have a "social events" policy that sets out expectations at any company-funded events ie not to get shit-faced and if you are due to work the next day to turn up on time able to do your job. And every time there is an event, an email goes round beforehand pointing people to it.

A number of years ago, at a different company, one staff member got very drunk and punched another staff member. He was sacked the next day for gross misconduct.

Ultimately it’s on the employee who chose to get wasted at a work event, especially one where there are clients in attendance. Having been that young idiot who got wasted at one (or two..) work events way back when, I can sympathise with them, but you have to own your shit when you mess up.