The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

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aloysius
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The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by aloysius »

I started a new job a month or two ago, and my boss keeps several bottles of liquor on the bookshelf by his desk. They are prominently displayed and all are half empty. And I watched a clip on YouTube about Conan's show where Conan interviewed some of his staff and more than one had a bottle of booze tucked away in a drawer.

My point is, all jobs have downtime. These days we usually spend our downtime grabbing a nap, a snack, or - if we're lucky enough to sit in an air-conditioned office - putzing around the boring (read: no naked people) parts of the web. So why shouldn't we be allowed to have a bottle of booze or two at work for a quick nip or two when things are slow? It'll make the day funner, us workers will be happier, and productivity will probably rise. It might be a bit sloppier, but the renewed enthusiasm booze brings will probably more than make up for it.

So, if you're a boss or manager or own a company yourself, how do you stand on the office bar? I'm just a workhorse but I write stuff for a living and I know for a fact my work is better when I've had a few. Thoughts?

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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Jiggers McCoy »

The tech booms means that companies are being started by college kids and people that still wish they were in college. They get to set the culture, and everyone knows smarty-pantses dig liquor. Ergo, bar at the office. I don't know why bigger companies don't do it. Some sourpuss in the back office thinks it'll increase costs, probably.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by coqui_chris »

No fucking way.

THEY are coming for us.

They've already got the smokers ...

http://articles.philly.com/2013-02-21/n ... lth-system
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by ThirstyDrunk »

coqui_chris wrote:No fucking way.

THEY are coming for us.

They've already got the smokers ...

http://articles.philly.com/2013-02-21/n ... lth-system

The time is coming when I'll get my weed from the drive-thru and my tobacco from my dealer.
But to the first post, I'm a warehouse manager but I still have superiors who would not approve of drinking. I keep peppermint schnapps in my bottom desk drawer and eat mints alot.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Mr Boozificator »

ThirstyDrunk wrote:
coqui_chris wrote:No fucking way.

THEY are coming for us.

They've already got the smokers ...

http://articles.philly.com/2013-02-21/n ... lth-system

The time is coming when I'll get my weed from the drive-thru and my tobacco from my dealer.
But to the first post, I'm a warehouse manager but I still have superiors who would not approve of drinking. I keep peppermint schnapps in my bottom desk drawer and eat mints alot.
My name is Boozy, and I want to return to Ohio.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Palinka (RIP) »

ThirstyDrunk wrote:The time is coming when I'll get my weed from the drive-thru and my tobacco from my dealer...
When Smoking and Drinking were Cool...
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Booz Hound »

Well, my office bar wont stay stocked (it's my fault but hell)
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Bluespook »

insurance reasons is the biggest concern. If someone in management knowingly let the guys drink at work, even a little, and there was an accident it would be the managers ass and the insurance company would probably drop you. Thats why it has to go underground. A bottle in a desk drawer, is how it will go. Now, the boss may know and not care, but if he can at least pretend he doesn't know, then it was just a rogue employee who probably needs to go to counciling and therapy. Becomes a hard luck case about another alcoholic rather than a "I'm gonna sue the shit out of this place" story.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Bobby Stout »

Hi Folks. I've been in my current job about two years now and have boozed almost every day of them. It may be highly dysfunctional to some, but my shitty job is a lot more tolerable with 200mls of vodka poured into a bottle of sports drink to sip out of. So long as one eats the three main meals of the day, has plenty of mints and gets the job done, it's not a problem, in my view, nor do the majority of staff suspect anything.....cheers!

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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by JohnnyTequila »

Mr Boozificator wrote: My name is Boozy, and I want to return to Ohio.

Now here's something you don't hear everyday.

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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Savage »

My office is fully stocked with booze. And mixers, because, why else would we work?
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Palinka (RIP) »

Savage wrote:My office is fully stocked with booze. And mixers, because, why else would we work?
The benefits of working from home.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by coqui_chris »

Bluespook wrote:insurance reasons is the biggest concern. If someone in management knowingly let the guys drink at work, even a little, and there was an accident it would be the managers ass and the insurance company would probably drop you. Thats why it has to go underground. A bottle in a desk drawer, is how it will go. Now, the boss may know and not care, but if he can at least pretend he doesn't know, then it was just a rogue employee who probably needs to go to counciling and therapy. Becomes a hard luck case about another alcoholic rather than a "I'm gonna sue the shit out of this place" story.
On that same note, insurance costs are what could make going to a bar outside of the office off-limits. If the University of Pennsylvania can refrain from hiring any smokers, guess who is next?

I think if you sacrifice your time on this earth to make a company a profit, you should be able to take that fucking cash and buy the biggest beer, the most unfiltered cigarette, the oiliest hoagie, and the greasiest burger you fucking want and chow down.

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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by Bluespook »

i'm not trying to say the policy is right or wrong, just pointing out the why. Personally i don't agree with it. But i also do understand it. People 50 years ago would shrug off most things that didn't go their way or didn't really have much to do with them. Today, they sue the shit out of you for the slightest problem. It would be nice if we could have fully stocked office bars and liquor cabinets. The three martini lunch comming back into fashion. Unfortunately this isn't the case so long as everyone is afraid of lawsuits and bad publicity.
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Re: The Office Bar: On the Verge of a Comeback?

Post by coqui_chris »

Bluespook wrote:i'm not trying to say the policy is right or wrong, just pointing out the why. Personally i don't agree with it. But i also do understand it. People 50 years ago would shrug off most things that didn't go their way or didn't really have much to do with them. Today, they sue the shit out of you for the slightest problem. It would be nice if we could have fully stocked office bars and liquor cabinets. The three martini lunch comming back into fashion. Unfortunately this isn't the case so long as everyone is afraid of lawsuits and bad publicity.
I totally know what you mean by that, its a two-way street with the lawsuits and the contract-writing between management and workers from what I've seen, with the mercenary lawyers hovering in-between.

But I think we are talking about two different things ... The liability of a company who won't let you drink on the job because if you get hurt and turn around to point the finger at you is one thing and totally understandable from the employers' perspectives.

The problem comes from when because health benefits are now an established right and part and parcel to Earned Wages, companies decide that certain out-of-work activities are just too damn expensive for them in regards to health risks and now they're going to refuse to hire you if you smoke or eat unhealthy or drink.

Fuck Bloomberg.
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