While the country’s economy is doing better than ever, gainfully employed citizens still need to protect their jobs. One undervalued aspect of maintaining your valued “nine-to-five” is exercising good judgment at work outings. While attending company conventions, holiday parties, outside work functions, and even entertaining clients, there are pitfalls to be avoided. Specifically, when drinking with your coworkers. As gentlemen we are expected to lead in the consumption of libations, but not party like a rock star. With the proper drinking etiquette you should live to see your next paycheck.
What Not To Do
Regardless of the type of work event, you should avoid becoming tipsy. Even at this fun level of intoxication, you are prone to speak more bluntly which can expose your true feelings or make an off-the-cuff remark that can be deemed as inappropriate or offensive. As a rule of thumb, keep to a two-drink limit. Everyone’s threshold is different though, so keep certain factors in mind.
If you’re not a drinker stay away from alcohol all together. At one holiday party I saw an intern who never had a drink before try to keep up with his supervisor. The result? He ended up dropping a Monopoly board game on a Vice President’s shiny bald head during the gift exchange. Needless to say that was a moment he would like to forget. If you do enjoy the occasional cocktail but you start to laugh incessantly or slur your words than edit your drinking plan accordingly. This behavior can be viewed as a lack of professionalism and just plain irresponsible. Finally if you have a crush on a coworker, consider staying away since alcohol can create complex romantic scenarios which are not conducive to climbing the corporate ladder — trust me.
Tricks of the Trade
Another winning characteristic of enjoying yourself is choosing the appropriate alcoholic beverage. While hard spirits are always fun, try to limit your intake in front of colleagues or clients. Wine and light beer can help keep a cool head. Even if everyone else is hitting the sauce hard, don’t fall prey to fitting in. A trick that I have used successfully throughout my career is what I call “tag teaming.” Before you place your first order give your waiter or bartender specific directions that you do not want to get drunk. Ask to only be served non-alcoholic drinks that appear to be regular mixed cocktails. This can be activated while you excuse yourself to wash your hands. No one will know the difference between a seltzer and orange juice versus a vodka screwdriver if your waiter is in on the game.
Shots should be avoided at any work related function, but if you’re direct manager wants both of you to get drunk then employ a similar strategy. Instruct your bartender/waiter to bring your supervisor shots of clear tequila and shots of water for you. Make sure to act like the “tequila” is very strong after you chugged your water, or chase it with a swig of beer (which is less harmful) and you’ll gain the respect of your weekend warrior boss while avoiding any embarrassing shot-induced incidents.
Finally, if you feel uncomfortable with any type of trickery, simply pace yourself based on how long the evening will be. A good rule of thumb is to alternate between an alcoholic beverage and a glass of water. That way you can stretch drinks out over the night, stay sober and most importantly hydrated — as we all know dehydration is major side effect of alcohol consumption.
As we’ve all been told, you should always enjoy alcohol responsibly. Think before you drink and your name will ring nothing but good things around the water cooler.