I don't really see a reason why not. If you aren't getting tanked there really aren't any negatives. Maybe some people will judge if they see you at lunch and maybe for the sake of image it might not be the best idea. Other than that I can't see a good reason why not.

http://www.beautysnob.com/images2009/beer.jpg
Permalink | Report

I think it really depends on what country you're in. Here in America, the etiquette is typically not to drink alcohol at lunch. However if you're in Germany, it's perfectly alright.

According to Washington State University: "Regarding alcohol, don’t order drinks/beer at lunch. We just don’t do that in this society, though an alcoholic beverage or two with dinner is perfectly acceptable."
Source(s):
http://wiki.wsu.edu/wsuwiki/Lunch_Etiquette

Permalink | Report

No, and most of the time the company has training that says the same thing.

Check with your corpate policy to be sure. It's not worth losing your job over.
It it is a company function then it is ok.
Permalink | Report

First, if I ever run a company big enough to have an office like Sterling Cooper, it will be required that all executives have bottles of liquor and couches in their offices. That's just how I roll.

Practically however, no.

My first mentor was my boss at my first job. It was at a local grocery store. He enjoyed beer, was a "good guy" and could have reasonably enjoyed a couple of pints at lunch. He never did. When asked, he told me that not only did it a casual drink with friends give him something to look forward to the odd night and on weekends, but that it kept him sharp and on his game. You _never_ know when an emergency will occur. Even if that emergency is nothing more than a surprise audit or an unexpected meeting with the board of directors, it's often better to have a coke than a beer at lunch.

The exception to this is if your position is in Sales or Marketing. These positions usually require that you buy drinks over business lunches and it is not polite (unless there is a good reason) for one not to drink with clients.
Permalink | Report

I have enjoyed an occasional lunch with friends and sometimes the boss too that included a 'drink' with the festivities.

I really depends on the rules and atmosphere of where you work.

I personally wouldn't down two beers with lunch since beer in the afternoon makes me very very tired.
Permalink | Report

The world is a big place and "ever" is a big word.

There are cultures and sub-cultures (less so now that thirty years ago) that take long and/or alcoholic lunchbreaks, at least some of the time.

If you happen to be taking clients out to lunch in Paris, and you're having a good meal, probably some wine would be par for the course.

If you're working in a tech company in England, and saying goodbye on a colleague's last day, or celebrating somebody's promotion, a visit to the pub for lunch and a beer or two would probably be the normal ritual. Unless you had pressing reasons not to go, you might actually be thought less of a team player if you avoided that lunch and the beer.

In short, it's up to you to know the culture of the place where you work, and the effect drinking would have on what you plan for the afternoon.

There are certainly places and occasions where it will be ok to have a beer at lunchtime, and maybe even expected.
Permalink | Report

A beer or two probably isn't going to hurt anything... sort of depends what you're doing.

Are you going to be performing dental surgery, or are you going to be working the compaints desk at a dollar store?

In fact, most parts of the world figure it's basically normal, given that beer is safer than the water to drink.

A lot of people forget that for millenia, in most parts of the old world, water was *not* the safest option for consumption. People who drank water got sick.

In the east, people developed a fondness for tea, which required boiling water, which killed the bacteria causing cholera and dysintery. People who drank tea lived, and those who didn't died, leaving behind only people who drank tea.

In the west, they didn't have tea, but those who drank ale did not get sick, which meant that most people still alive also happened to be people who drank ale. The yeasts that fermented the ale killed off the bacteria that cause cholera and dysentery. Or they'd drink wine, diluted, where the ethanol in the wine would kill the bacteria.

Consequently, for most parts of the western old world, europeans in the south were perpetually in a state of mild intoxication from diluted wine, and those in the north were in constant states of mild intoxication from ales, and nobody thought there was a problem with it.

The problems started when spirits came along some time in the middle ages. Almost immediatly people noticed that there was something different about the effects of spirits on human behavior (we know that it has to do with the *rate* of absorption of ethanol, and not the amount... meaning the human system can handle large amounts if it's taken slowly, but even small amounts can cause radical behaviors if it goes in at one fast shot), and that's when being alchoholic started getting a very bad rep.

Still, ale consumption was tolerated, and encouraged, because the only other option was dysentery, until europeans started sailing around the world, building navel trade routes making it possible to ship in huge amounts of coffee and tea, whereupon they didn't have to drink ale to avoid dysentery... they boiled water and made coffees and teas.

The main probelm, as far as the nobility was concerned, was that people who got their liquids from coffee were harder to control than those who got their liquids from ale, such that there were times when some european lords would outlaw coffee shops and make it a rule that people had to drink ale.

And then of course about a hundred years ago the soda pops and phosphates were created, so there was a third option, because the ingredients of soda pop are so extreme that virtually no bacteria can survive in that elixer (after all... common colas have a pH of 2).

I had an uncle who believed that the whole world was born two drinks under par, and that if everyone just had two drinks, then the whole planet would function in a much more peaceful, orderly fashion, and sometimes I think he's right.

It so much depends on what you're doing. Ethanol is definitly a perfomrance inhibbiter when it comes to hand-eye coordination, so if you're doing anything that requires manual dexterity and coordination with what you're seeing, it's a bad, bad idea. But ethanol is also a great social lubricant, so if your job means having to deal with people who might otherwise give you a headache, then maybe it can't hurt.

I do know, however, that many europeans would wonder why americans worry about it so much, because what americans call beer is what europeans call light beer, and what americans call lite beer, the europeans would feed to their pets, yet those same europeans figure that a pint of beer with lunch is as normal as normal can be, and yet somehow their economies continue to function.

It's all about set and setting.
Permalink | Report

I do consulting for a major beer company and the always sample beers for lunch, even the competition's beer!

so if you work for a beer company, it is encouraged!
Permalink | Report

It depends a lot on what part of the world you live in. When my hubby went to school in Australia, they had a pub on campus and nearly everybody stopped by for a pint between classes.
I think it is much more frowned on here in the United States, but that may just be our puritanical upbringing. Personally, I think that having a drink with lunch is fine so long as it doesn't impair your ability to do the job after lunch. You may want to check your employee handbook though as some companies may consider that grounds for termination.
Source(s):
personal experience

Permalink | Report

If your job has a policy and you're not supposed to then no you cannot have a beer at lunch...that is if you value your job.

I have lived in Germany and they drink beer all the time, it's in vending machines even and I believe they serve it at McDonald's. It's considered a regular beverage like Diet Coke. German employees for german companies were allowed to drink beer any time of the day, even on the Army base but Americans were not permitted to during work.

In the end it depends upon your job and who you work for. I don't take chances and I certainly wouldn't for a beer.
Permalink | Report

i would say it depends on the enviroment, however i think in most cases try drinking a soda or something else it probably doesnt sit over well if u are drinking on the job.
Permalink | Report

Go to Europe. Its completely fine there.
Here in the states its an obvious taboo for work.
Then again so is sleeping at your desk even when there is no work to do.
Asian workers do it all the time...in Asia.

It really depend on the work culture at your office and weather you operate
heavy machinery, operate on brains, or work with children.

And you can see by watching Mad Men, it was completely okay if not
the norm for lunch in America at one time.
Amazing how social norms change.

If you have the kind of relationship with your boss or superior where you can invite them out to lunch, then order a glass of wine with your lunch meal.
Wine because it has a more refined connotation than beer. See if they object, widen their eyes, or seem uncomfortable. Then offer them a glass.
If they drink with you then its smooth sailing.
If they refuse, tell the server you changed your mind and switch to coffee.

Just follow the bosses lead to be safe.
Permalink | Report

Did you really want to keep your job?
There are 10 people in line for each job out there.... sure go ahead and have that beer.... your employer can replace you instantly.
Permalink | Report

I do not believe that it is OK to have a beer for lunch time at all. First, everyone knows what beer can do as far as influencing your mind and thoughts. Secondly, suppose you had an accident on your way back to work or suppose you work in a factory and something bad happened to you on the job. In Michigan you get tested for drugs and alcohol if you have a reason to go to the emergency room from work. Most employers would fire you for bring under the influnence and you would be responsable for the hospital bill.
If I were you I would avoid drinking at luch time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwheeleroz/2316705674/
Source(s):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwheeleroz/2316705674/

Permalink | Report

Employers pay employees to be at their best during their hours of employment. Alcohol inhibits your judgment which can cause a lapse or delayed reaction or action. This can lead to mistakes which could be either a financial, legal or moral responsibility of the company. Which means that No, it is never okay to drink during a work day.
Permalink | Report

I would NEVER have a drink on my dinner break, but that really is just a personal thing as I know how much of a lightweight I am with alcohol and I can't work after having even a pint, never mind a couple...

As long as you're not working with children (or anyone else equally as dependent), heavy machinery, driving, etc, then it can't become a problem unless you start going for a drink EVERY dinner time and end up losing your job ;)
Permalink | Report

not unless you are looking to get fired. also depending on what type of work ou do it could make you have an accident. i also don't think it is fair to your employer.
Permalink | Report

It depends if you ccalled in sick or not.
Permalink | Report