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

It's colleague A's fault. Work parties are still work events. And on probation too, what an idiot! It'll be a harsh life lesson, and also if they can't drink without losing control and turning into an obnoxious vomiting mess, a problem to think very carefully about looking into their future.
Work parties are work events and colleagues are not friends. Important boundaries that come easily to some and harder earned for others, like colleague A.

I am very much of the ‘people are adults’ view when it comes to the workplace. They may be young adults or older adults but they need to behave with some level of self-control.

Always A in this scenario.

We had a similar kind of A. First time at the very lavish Christmas party, was drunk and behaving inappropriately towards a female. Senior leader stepped in to tell them it is time to go home and A tried to punch him!!!!

Cannot believe A showed up to work on Monday. Reader, A was fired.

A needs to learn a huge lesson!!

If they're an alcoholic they should've refused the invite.

It’s A’s fault.

However I think employers are increasingly tending not to hold events which encourage heavy drinking for all sorts of reasons, including wanting to avoid being seen as allowing or encouraging bad behaviour or creating a culture in which it’s tolerated. My employer used to have a huge budget for piss ups, but these days we’re not supposed to organise events where drinking is the chief focus (so a gallery viewing with wine- fine. Just the wine- not fine). So if I were an events organiser at your place I’d be looking at your policies, especially if this sort of thing is a regular occurrence. After all, even if it’s just A’s fault it’s the business that will bear the costs of finding a replacement.

I think that companies should take some responsibility, personally.

Free bars are irresponsible.

What if people have drinking issues.

Alcohol is a mind altering drug.

Companies are basically saying , you can have as much of this drug as you want.

Yes people should be responsible. But companies should also be more responsible.

They should give maybe two drinks free.

A was at fault. Work events shouldn't have to be dumbed down to prevent people from being able to be irresponsible, people should just be responsible for their own actions.

I think that companies should take some responsibility, personally.

Oh dear, people need to take responsibility, if they are adult enough to hold a job, it's their problem

Where does it stop? Someone will blame the company for eating the wrong food as well?

They should give maybe two drinks free.
You realise that's already too many for someone with a drinking or medical issue?

I'm dreadfully sorry.
Was that me?
Again?

I think it must have been the prawn vol au vonts. They always seem to do that to me.

I do hope that he didn't recognised me, there's an election coming up, you know?

Colleague A is responsible for their own actions, free bar or not. Their employers & clients are there, of course you should not get s*tfaced. My workplace only gives 2 free drinks per persons but plenty of food/entertainment, think this sets the tone!

I don't think the company's responsible per se, but it was a risky decision to load up 50 employees with unlimited booze and set them loose on the most valued customers. Especially when there's been trouble before.

I'd have been a lot more explicit about my expectations beforehand, and probably had the employees in work mode all night then given them a separate function (e.g. after party) to let off steam.

Most alcoholics are in complete denial that they are alcoholics though.

My dad is a binge drinker. Fantastic 99% of the time, and was a great worker in his time. But if you invite him to a work do with a free bar, he is just not going to be able to have just the one. A free bar is a disaster.

I think it’s both to be honest.
Yes A is an adult and knew clients would be there.
However I find it completely irresponsible that in this day and age a company is providing unlimited alcohol to all and sundry.
I say this as someone who rarely drinks.
I make sure I drive to work events.
It’s unacceptable the way alcohol is pushed as perfectly fine.
I know this is my opinion but alcohol is a drug and companies should be acting fat more responsibly.

Colleague A is at fault but I do think these free bars aren't good and encourage excessive drinking. It's not a good culture.

Did they get sacked though, or resign? A while ago a manager in our company got so shit-faced at a company only do that the Managing Director had to escort her home. If that were me he'd have had my notice on his desk first thing Monday morning, I'd be crippled by the shame.

Turned out the Woman had no shame at all though, wasn't even the last time she did it!

Colleague A is still in their probation. They can be sacked for pretty much anything, except a discriminatory issue

Hence they've been sacked for poor behaviour at a work event

Your previous thread was , perhaps, about a colleague who had been with the company more than 2 years?

I would have 😂at the swearing at an old client.
Childish sorry.

Interesting question. I’m imagining Saul Goodman defending this one in court!

Youre pressured to go to these things though.

I have a works do next month. Its a special one for the company, marking an award.

I've tried to get out of going a couple of times , and I got real pressure from my managers to go.

I've given in

Talk about the worst thing that could happen, vomiting on a managers shoes. It's kind of funny, in a "that's the absolute worst person you could vomit on" kind of way..

It's made me think of things I've seen at work parties over the years.

It's colleague A's fault. They should know how they react to booze and what their limits are and should have stopped long before they got to that point. Non-alcoholic drinks were also available so they could have and should have paced themselves.
I suppose they could be a young, inexperienced colleague in their first job, but even then they should know it's not a night out on the town with friends where you can get wasted and puke on people's shoes.
They showed themselves up and revealed a side of their personality which wasn't great as well as showing a lack of self-control.

The company briefed staff not to drink too much. That should have been enough warning.
No one else from the company, or any of the guests or clients presumably, got out of control like that.

I said more or less the same upthread; ultimately the colleague is to blame but it's not like anyone on the thread has never heard of such a thing happening before. It's not an uncommon occurrence with this particular drug.

Now that OP has said that something similar happened at a previous event a few years ago, I wonder if the company is going to consider that it might not be a fantastic idea to have an open bar? Or are they just going to plough on and accept that these things, although unacceptable, DO happen and managers will occasionally have someone chuck up on their shoes at a work jolly?

(I'm another one wondering whether the colleague simply quit, rather than was sacked. I got too drunk too quickly at a party at university and my lovely friends looked after me and put me to bed. It took me about 15 years to get over the shame.)

Colleague A! This shouldn't even be a question.

You're at a work function, you should be grown enough to know your limits, the company took the right course of action here

Those saying company at fault is everything wrong with the world today, why take responsibility for one's own actions and the consequences they drive when we can blame someone else