After Work Drinks

[waggastew]

There has been some debate recently at my work about the legality of after work drinks. We have a fridge in the main eating area that is stocked by the 'Beer Committee'. Come Friday arvo knock off staff can purchase beer for $2.50 a stubby including light, mid, full strength and the occasional boutique. No limit has been set or guidelines provided.

Obviously this a beer site so I assume most people would not have a problem with this. What I want to know is this still common? Does your work do this as well?

Look forward to your feedback

Cheers

 

[bum]

That is illegal on both a liquor licensing front and a HSE front.

 

[Bandito]

Yea, we sometimes have friday night beers. Havent lately, I think its because we are too stuffed by 5:30pm friday of late. We usually finnish up work - do timesheets etc for 15 minutes or so, then have a chat for 1/2 hour, about work schedules and lesiure. It's really good team building. The boss keeps the fridge stocked with a few beers, we dont pay for it. I consider it a way for the boss to allot a time where we arent expected to work, and can just get to know each other - this develops closer bonds which make us more likely to offer to help someone when we hear that one member of the team are going to pull an allnighter to get a project finnished.
Last year, we all stayed back on a tuesday night to finnish a project. We finnished it at 2:30am! If it wasnt for the team spirit that we have, this wouldnt have happened. The client was so impressed to get the finnished project by email at 2:30am and hear that we had all stayed back, that he had a local bottle shop deliver a slab of carlton draft for each of us - that was very cool!

In terms of legality - it is pretty harsh for the boss not to pay for the brews. We typically have 1 or mabee 2 stubbies. For the team building that the team gets, it is well worth it. Obviously, selling alcohol would be just like me selling my home brew, which would incur severe legal repicussions. I have taken my hame brew to work, but to share for free, not sell.

In terms of HSE or OH&S, there may be some workcover claim possible if someone had a car crash on the way home. But, I have worked at places where it was common for the afterwork drinks to occur at the pub. From rumours, it sounded like some of those afterwork drinks turned into all-nighter partys. So whats better - having a limited supply at work, afterwich, people go home, or going to a pub with unlimited alcohol! The workcover claims are not recognised when you dont go directly home from work.

I like the afterwork drinks, and, as adults, one can expect people to be responsible.

 

[dago001]

Being on a 0.00 site, we don't do after work drinks the way that office type workers do. We sell soft drink at work to fund end of shift drinks at the local. Works out well as we allow/average it to approx 2 to 3 beers per person. It's up to the individual as to how much they drink. And we try not to talk about work, although we generally just bitch about the bosses.
Cheers
LB

 

[Mobbee007]

we used to go play lawn bowls once a month and have a few beers but it slowly died out and then stopped and our work site has been classed as dry by the owner BOO!!

 

[Kai]

I have a pint on the company every afternoon. I like to think of it as a requirement, not an entitlement.

They don't even count towards alcohol free days.

 

[bum]

They do contribute heavily to the free alcohol day tally, of course.

 

[raven19]

Once a month the work drinks on Fri after work are free. The other Fri nights, a $5 dontation is expected.

I rarely go nowadays, better beer at home, and after starting early, I like to finish early too.

We have a 'responsible person' present at each Fri night drink session who has to make sure everyone is under control etc.

Aaaaah the new age of litigation, etc.... Safety, covering one's ass, etc.

 

[mika]

Current work (very white collar) has light/midstrength beers and soft drinks every friday afternoon (company buys). But the trolley doesn't come round till 4:30, so most people miss it. The selection is such that I just grab a soft drink.

Previous work used to have Friday afternoon drinks (full strength), again paid for. It was good, sit there for the last half hour of work, suck down a beer whilst finishing up for the week. However... the workshop boys finished a fair bit earlier (because they started early) and a lot of the time when I left late (after only one beer) the workshop boys cars were still parked there.
So to shorten the story up, workshop foreman driving home in the company car got done for DD. Lots of scrabbling around, a contract ammendment issued to all company employee's to sign and Ta-dah ! no more Friday drinks.

I've even heard another work HR manager getting concerned about the work christmas party, as there were implications for the company, should an employee be supplied with a bunch of beer and then not given sufficient options of transport after said event. Given that it is a work organised/sanctioned event.

Friday drinks... respect it, enjoy it while you can... if you come across a company that still does it, treat it as a novelty, I fear it will soon dissappear completely.

 

[Muggus]

We tend to have a "tasting session" after a long day at the winery.
Usually it's a bit formal, where we sit down and evaluate a few different wines, and sometimes beers. But once you've done your write up, its a bit more relaxed and you can enjoy a drink or two.
One of the blokes actually brought in a bottle of his first homebrew for us to try...takes me back...

 

[Bribie G]

We are a zero alcohol company but once a year, for the annual awards night, they hire an entire venue such as The Tivoli in Fortitude Valley and many get blind and have to go home by ambulance whatever B)

 

[MVZOOM]

I'm in an office with engineers, sales and admin, fairly white collar. There are 35 of us max, and three beer fridges and a stocked spirits bar. Also have a pool table, PS3 etc. We'll have a beer any day during the week and once a month there's a full BBQ starting at midday - free food, beer and if you need to work you work, if not, just have a relax and a chat. It's good, folk are fairly responsible.

 

[white.grant]

My joint has a pretty comprehensive alcohol policy and carries a couple of licensed venues as part of the business mix so its all pretty serious and difficult to have after work drinks on the average workplace. Although on Friday evenings the suits generally get together for a few drinks in the bar under the watchful eyes of someone with an RSA. We also have a pay deduction each week (2.50) that goes towards a couple of long lunches every year.

cheers

grant

 

[DiscoStu]

We still have beers on a friday after 1630hrs paid by the company but it's a pretty limited supply and no one gets stuck in. Beer choice is pretty limited though and most of my coworkers seem to enjoy near freezing Corona. I often bring a in couple of longnecks of my current batch to drink with the my boss and a couple of the other guys who appreciate a beer with flavour.

They have social club drinks once a month at the pub but I avoid these like the plague.

 

[Snow]

I work in Local Government, so they don't pay for any grog, but I have pretty understanding managers who encourage us to have the occasional "team meeting" at the German Club. Every couple of months we also have homebrew arvos, where all the brewers in the branch bring in their wares. We all pitch in for nibblies and just have it in the break-out area in the foyer of our building. Always get funny looks from the cleaning staff :lol:

As we work in the city, nearly everyone catches public transport, so the drink drive thing is a non-issue, except for one bloke who rode his bicycle home after a homebrew arvo and rode into a pole. He doesn't ride anymore

Cheers - Snow.

 

[nathanR]

I find it sad that people cant have a beer after work because some people always mess it up for the majority that do the right thing

and when they have too much to drink they cant take responsibility for there own actions and have to blame some one else for getting them drunk then someone trying to do the right thing by there staff gets sued

I have work for a couple of places some who provided some or lots of beer some that said you can provide your own beer and one that you take a beer you pay your $2 so when the next carton is purchased there is money there

and one that said you can have a beer after 4:00 an hour before we finished as long as you are not drinking a beer and serving a customer at the same time

most off these worked out well but some did not because there was someone who could not do the right thing

now all I want to do is get home when my day is over and have a beer on the couch and spend some time with my wife and baby

 

[Pete2501]

Our office is pretty small. So when 2 or 3 people don't feel like a drop nothing happens. Since my boss hasn't been drinking things have kinda died in the arse.