The business of alcohol

 

I’ll be the first to admit that a little booze in the system makes for an honest, wittier, more stimulating conversation but in business take your cues from your company culture and the behaviour of your co-workers. Observe if successful people you work with drink at company events or how much they drink.  If you do not drink for personal, religious or philosophical reasons, there is no need to. Neither should you feel the need to offer any explanation, if someone asks you why you are not drinking alcohol, you can respond with "I much prefer this right now." Then move the conversation onto another topic. When you are not sure if the other people will be drinking, play it safe and order something non-alcoholic.  

When unwinding with co-workers or fellow professionals it’s okay to have few drinks to loosen up or relax and not seem prudish especially in a party type setting.   Everyone’s body chemistry is different but do know your limits, when to say enough is enough, when to call it a night and go home. Consider the effects of drinking too much on your relationships with your co-workers, your professional reputation, the office gossip mill, and your own view of yourself. 

Maybe the only thing worse than making a drunken fool of yourself with your co-workers or professional peers is showing up late to work the next day (or not at all), clearly hung over and unable to function. Not only will you be seen as irresponsible, you may be costing your company and clients a lot of money. One way to avoid this is once you make your drink decision for the night, stick to that poison all night. Bouncing all over the place from vodka to gin to whisky to beer to wine only leads to trouble and a leaden head the next day.  Another important thing to remember is that as you get older, your recovery time takes longer. Things I could do at 22 I cannot do at 32, like shots. Shots to me are always a turning point in the evening between relaxed fun and things rapidly going downhill. So save the tequila shots for when you are on holiday with your best friends and not with your co-workers.

Ideally when you are entertaining a client, you shouldn’t drink or you should limit yourself to only one drink if they are going to have a drink. If they do not order an alcoholic beverage, you probably shouldn’t either. Realize that you are on show as a representative for your company. Remember its one thing to celebrate great work together in the appropriate setting, quite another to have regular liquid lunches with potential or existing clients. Alcohol loosens our inhibitions so be aware of drinking and hitting on co-workers or clients or getting over amorous with them. Sure it sounds obvious, but it happens all the time and a move on the wrong person could be potentially fatal to you and your career. So avoid setting yourself up by having too many drinks.

Another good rule to employ is to say to yourself, “I’ll have one less.” Instead of the usual, “Let’s have one more,” just say to yourself “I’m going to have one less.” It’s a good rule of thumb. Don’t be that person closing the party at 4am in the morning when the cleaners are coming in. And if you hear the words open bar – go against the grain and start off with juice or a soft drink rather than join the scrum for the free Heineken. Delaying the inevitable as long as possible will help you drink less.

 “Leta Tusker mbili” should not be your mantra at every cocktail, business lunch, networking event or even after a round of golf – you know there are other more sophisticated choices out there. How you present yourself outside the office is just as important as it is at work. What you order can say a lot about you. This is especially for the new hires and upcoming professionals, your take on alcohol should change now that you are no longer in college and a steady pay check and adulthood has opened up a whole new world.  I’d strongly recommend that you take the time to educate yourself in the world of wines.  Wine is the go-to-choice for having alcohol at a business or company event.

So be smart, drink responsibly, and remember that while you may like your co-workers, they aren’t your friends from college and are less reliable to carry your drunken self back to the car or call you a cab nor should they be. Cheers!