Drinking Alcohol at Work

[canveyshrimper]

How the world has changed. In my business there used to be a regular drinking culture, particularly in the City, when a rep could call in The George in Aldgate at lunchtime, buy a huge round, and thereby have made about 6 sales calls in an hour.

The times that I've seen people stagger back pi$$ed as farts and spend the afternoon snoring peacefully at their desks are countless. One bloke actually took a recreational drug and about 5 pints one day and spent an interesting hour in the bosses office thumping the desk and demanding a pay rise of about 20%. Sadly he was soon down at the dole office.:cry:

It all seems very tame now, as I sit here at lunchtime eating my healthy lunch perusing SZ.:(

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Quite often down the pub for lunch and a beer, mostly taken by the boss for a treat!

 

[Firestorm]

It all seems very tame now, as I sit here at lunchtime eating my healthy lunch perusing SZ.:(

How true.

when I started in the city almost 30 years ago it was commonplace for the entire office to pop down the local for a couple every lunchtime.

At one place a couple of us used to start early (7.30 ish) just so we could get the work done enabling a longer lunchtime session. Mind you the boozers shutting at 2.30 (or 3 at the very latest ) did mean that regardless of what was going on you did get back to the office.
My current place , however, is quite strict . When it was smaller it was very strict with no drinking at lunchtime being written into the contract.
Mind you didn't stop everyone...one day a client came out of the loos and commented that a very strange noise was coming out of one of the cubilcles. After a quick recce it was identified as the sound of snoring. a quick look under the trap door established that the occupant was wearing a blue pinstripe suit and a brief look round the office quicly located a desk with the screensave kicked in and a Blue pinstripe jacket on the back of the unoccupied chair. The chaps departmental head was summoned to rous the bloke from his slumber by thumping on the door.
Despite an immense bollocking the next day (heard alround the office despite being behind closed doors) the chap is still here...

 

[Einstein]

One bloke actually took a recreational drug and about 5 pints one day and spent an interesting hour in the bosses office thumping the desk and demanding a pay rise of about 20%.

That's priceless - I bet his parents would be proud!

Although I see nothing wrong in drinking at work... I'm not sure going above the recommended levels are a massively great idea....

There's an Aussie guy who works for my company who arrived on secondment a few months back. Soon after arrival, he asked me if he was missing something as he hadn't seen the 'alcohol trolley' once. When I questioned what he was on about, it appeared that every Friday afternoon, a huge trolley full of alcohol came round as part of 'team bonding and social integration'. When it was empty, the little maid disappeared and came back with a refilled trolley...

In another conversation he said it was rife with affairs, more than the average workplace. Putting 2 and 2 together, I think I might have found that reason...

 

[Cricko2]

There used to be saying at lunchtimes ..."Who has the drinking vouchers today"..Re cash. Most I knew in the city would go out about midday and return at 3 ish. These were mainly money brokers and they often had a bottle of something on there desks to keep them awake..How that ever worked is beyond me.:rolleyes:

 

[Pubey]

have the occasional liquid lunch at work but not very often. the lunchtime boozing culture is definitely still around in the city. my uni is on the aldwych/kingsway and at lunchtime us students can't get to the bar cos of all the suits in there! we see blokes necking the pints and chasers before wiping their mouths on their sleeves and waddling off back to the office! jokers!

 

[SARF]

Excellent . nearly lunchtime.. time to head off to Borough market I reckon for some traditional City style 11.30 to 1.30 action.. Lovely..

 

[Jonny_Stokes]

It's very much a rarity on our office, but I had a couple of beers at my desk today.

We launched our new Portuguese site this week so had a celebratory lunch, with a Portuguese buffet and loads of bottles of Super Bock. I can't claim they helped my productivity, but they certainly went down a treat :)

That Bock went down very nicely :)

Lunchtime in a place I used to work was a full-on two hour booze-a-thon. Great for team morale, crap for productivity...

 

[Jonny_Stokes]

my uni is on the aldwych/kingsway and at lunchtime us students can't get to the bar cos of all the suits in there! we see blokes necking the pints and chasers before wiping their mouths on their sleeves and waddling off back to the office! jokers!

Blimey. We have met after all :hilarious:

 

[SUFC_Al]

will be having a liquid lunch today, heading off to Roots Hall to renew season ticket and will stop in the Spread or Blue Boar for a couple, it is Friday afternoon after all and the office is sparsely populated today :D

 

[canveyshrimper]

That's priceless - I bet his parents would be proud!

..and Southend seaso as well, so I hope he doesn't spot this.

 

[Mad Cyril]

My company is full of boozers. And Gamblers.

A couple of favourite incidents:

1. The chap that sat on a board members wife's knee an an Xmas party and put his arms around her neck - Outcome - Sacked.

2. The chap that demonstrated his judo skills by flipping a senior manager onto the floor in front of 200 staff at a company function - Outcome - Sacked.

3. The chap that was ambulanced off to hospital, stomached pumped and kept in overnight when the company game me some money to take a project team out for 'a meal'. Unbelievably the same chap was the only person to make it in to work the next day (direct from hospital) and everyone else phoned in sick - Outcome - given a week off to recover from work related stress..