When she was about to leave her midwest home to head to drama school in New York in the 1940s, the actor Elaine Stritch’s father offered her some parental guidance. “Lainie,” he told her, “you are not the same after two martinis.”
Good advice, then and now. But while awareness of the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can do has grown in the intervening years, our relationship with booze has not necessarily improved all that much. And the use (or abuse) of alcohol at work remains a live issue.
The CBI is just the latest organisation to have its work-related, alcohol-fuelled behaviour scrutinised in the sober light of day. And while the No 10 Partygate saga appalled people on a number of levels, it was not just the flagrant breach of Covid restrictions that caused upset, but the excesses of drinking in an actual workplace – and quite an important workplace at that.
A new survey from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) suggests that, in the UK at least, our difficulties with alcohol at work continue. About a third of managers overall (33% of female managers, 26% of male ones) said they had witnessed harassment or other inappropriate forms of behaviour at work parties.
The CMI’s chief executive, Ann Francke, says that it may be necessary to limit the amount of drink offered at work parties, or supervise events and behaviour much more carefully. Alcohol “doesn’t need to be the main event”, she told the BBC. This approach makes sense: overemphasising the “piss-up” factor is asking for trouble. But perhaps we also have to think a bit harder about the role of alcohol and what it represents.
What is really going on when we drink in a work environment? The organisational anthropologist John Curran says that there are two main types of workplace drinking. There is the traditional male drinking culture that is associated with power and misogyny – think Mad Men and, well, martinis. And then there is drinking as a ritualised, team-building exercise that is supposed to enhance a sense of community at work. Both of these forms of behaviour can be seen as control mechanisms, Curran says: “If you don’t turn up you are not a team player.” And so on.
The other, subset event is the Christmas party or leaving do, when excess may almost seem to be encouraged, and some modest, temporary challenge to the existing hierarchy may take place, with junior staff mocking more senior figures.
During lockdown there were some (only partially successful) attempts to recreate community by having online drinks. And since the lockdowns ended, the need to rebuild cohesion at work has been recognised by a lot of bosses, even if many are still struggling to persuade people to spend more time in the office.
Drinking culture at work runs deep in Britain. The home of the industrial revolution was also the home of thirsty, hard-working men who had earned a drink. Booze has been part of work here for centuries. It would be hypocritical for a journalist to say otherwise. At the end of the working day during my first job in journalism, in London more than 30 years ago, many of us strolled almost automatically to the pub that stood less than 100 yards away from our desks. There was often drink at lunch, whether it was a work meeting or a social one. But I made good friends then who are still (drinking) buddies today.
It’s not just journalists, of course. Some City traders will still be ready for a drink after a busy day’s work (one that starts very early). Good days can be celebrated, while on less fortunate ones sorrows can be drowned. Any self-respecting sales team will want to enjoy a big win. And that enjoyment will usually be marked (and enhanced) by alcohol.
But perhaps the time has come to draw a line under all this. Many people do not really want to be confronted with alcohol at work, for health, personal or religious reasons. There are a lot more interesting (and alcohol-free) drinks available today than there used to be. The term “soft drinks” seems to contain a slight hint of disapproval. But if we can’t be grown up and responsible about booze at work, perhaps it is one of those nice things that we cannot have.
“Maybe alcohol should just be banned in any workplace situation,” says Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at the Alliance Manchester business school. “Why not just enjoy yourself without booze?”
Prof Cooper recognises that alcohol might be used as a stress reliever or a coping strategy, perhaps for more introverted people who are not looking forward to a social gathering. “But it’s better to identify the cause of the stress and deal with it, rather than turning to drink,” he says.
There are some grounds for hope, and it comes from younger people. They seem to be drinking less than their older colleagues. It could be that it’s just too expensive. But there is also evidence that different ways of socialising and less obsessive worship of booze may lie behind this.
A healthy, productive workplace should not need too many stimulants to function, beyond perhaps caffeine. Sometimes we are told to “bring your whole self to work”. But we should probably leave our hangovers at home.
Stefan Stern is co-author of Myths of Management and the former director of the High Pay Centre
