I didn't realize drinking on the job was a thing. I've had the odd company party with beer in the late afternoon, but that's perhaps twice a year.
I'm not a teetotaler by any stretch of the imagination, but drinking at work seems counterproductive.
I'm not a teetotaler by any stretch of the imagination, but drinking at work seems counterproductive.
This probably goes without saying, but alcohol isn't the problem. I imagine problem people and problem cultures often like to involve alcohol, so there's a correlation.
Sometimes, as the parent said, this happens out of the work fridge, as going to the bar isn't feasible, and it's nice to take 30m or so out of a long afternoon to be slightly less heads down, as said above, the fact that beer is involved is more just that it's a common source of enjoyment than any intrinsic ties to the hanging out. Coffee, video games, etc are all other ways of doing this, and I think if the culture is natural and very laid back you can avoid the peer pressure that naysayers like to bring up.
To your earlier point of being counterproductive, by 4 on a friday, I am so far from my peak of engineering productivity that a casual chat that spawns some interesting conversations is probably far more work-beneficial than my banging my head further on the same thing I've been doing for the prior 79 hours of the week, if I'm being honest with my workflow.
Just my thoughts. The stated lack of pressure comes from a recognition that these are just that, MY thoughts; I absolutely believe that this pattern doesn't work for anyone, but after so long of seeing the anti-drinking sentiment grow I wanted to chime in a bit with a positive spin; in as mentally intensive a field as we often have a chance to unwind is so valuable to me.
Yeah, that makes perfect sense, i do that myself. Absolutely agree with the 4 on Friday point as well. I like drinking.
It's just the at work part that makes me nervous. I see the utility in not having to move to a different location, and how that is more inclusive to everyone. I think it takes a very light touch. Because it's at work people might feel more obligated to participate - even if they don't claim any feelings of obligation. Because people are drinking, they might be a little less tactful than normal. These two can compound in ways that aren't great for everyone.
You and your team sound like smart responsible adults. And i'm sure organizations that approach it with your level of delicacy will do great.
All people are different and value different things. If you hire responsible adults, you can give a lot of leeway with how the work gets done.
A well rested person with a little beer in them is going to probably be less incompetent than someone who was up all night with insomnia.
I'm intolerant to caffeine and if I drank the same amount of coffee some folks drink it would leave me a juddering wreck
In advertising for example it's not uncommon for creative teams to head off to the pub for a brainstorm in the afternoon if its thursday/friday.
At that point in the day, I definitely liked being able to crack open a cold cider. It's not like I was getting drunk, and I would often continue to code for a few more hours.
Everyone from the CEO down was totally sloshed by afternoon, every day. I would absolutely hate to work in that environment, but it's definitely "a thing".