4 Things To Keep In Mind When Drinking With Colleagues

Socialising with colleagues should have the sole purpose of building, not damaging relationships. New survey results(1 )reveal that 45 percent of UK workers consume alcohol with colleagues just “once a month”, with 10 percent suggesting they do it as often as “several times a month". So, Glassdoor set out to identify the most common drink-related work behaviours and offer advice on what to do to make sure you’re not the talk of the office the next morning.

• Know your limits: You know how much you can drink more than anyone else. Just because it’s free, it doesn't mean you have to drink the bar dry.
• Don’t discuss your work problems: We all have good and bad days - it’s totally normal. Don’t be seen as the negative office colleague or even worse, the office gossip.
• Don’t trap people in long conversations about work: This one is pretty clear. We’re all out to have a good time and relax away from the grind. Of course you’ll discuss work for a bit as that's what has brought you together but keep it light and get to know your colleagues personally.
• Office flings: Yeah it happens and some people find true love at work. However, the majority of cases can be filled with regret and embarrassment. Probably best not to go there.

UK’s most common work-related drinking habits

1. Refused to consume alcohol at work events - 26%
2. Put in a taxi home from work event -12%
3. Sent home from work for being drunk - 9%
4. Sent home from work for being hungover - 9%
5. Inappropriate behaviour due to being drunk at work - 8%
6. Witnessed a fight at work event - 7%
7. Fired for being drunk during work hours - 4%
8. Fired for being drunk at external work event - 3%

Where Are Britain’s Biggest Office Drinkers? According to the overall regional findings, 53 percent of people in Wales said they went for a drink “once a month” with colleagues, followed by Scotland (48 percent), England (44 percent) and Northern Ireland (40 percent). Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, more workers in Wales were “sent home for being hungover” than in any UK region at 9 percent. According to the survey results, the majority of the Scots (68 percent) “never” drink with their colleagues outside of work hours. Age Breakdowns When analysing age groups, 5 percent of 18-24 year olds said they drink with their colleagues every day with 19 percent consuming alcohol several times a month. However, 47 percent of 45-54 year olds drink alcohol with co-workers once a month opposed to just 37 percent of 18-24 year old and 46 percent of 25-34 year olds. Although a low figure, more colleagues in the 45-54 group (5 percent) had been “fired for being drunk during work hours” than in any other category. For anyone looking to find out more about a company’s culture, check out reviews and benefits on Glassdoor.

1. The Glassdoor survey of 2,000 people was conducted within Great Britain by OnePoll on behalf of Glassdoor from 29/03/17-04/04/17.