VEXED IN THE CITY : SOLVING YOUR LOVE & LIFE PROBLEMS
DEAR VEXED: Summer party season has meant lots of drinking with colleagues. I keep getting drunk in front of them and regretting it the next day – not that I’ve done anything terrible (yet). I can’t figure out where to draw the line – is it acceptable, professionally and socially, to booze in front of colleagues? Or just foolish. Mark, commerical barrister, 31
IT’s a funny thing about the UK. Drinking is such an integral, deep-rooted part of the culture that it has its own allowances and rules. For example, taking drugs in front of colleagues, CEOs and MPs would be seriously frowned upon. As would simply removing your clothes, or engaging in heated sexual exchange. But drinking to the point of amusing drunkenness? Join the club!
But this exception to the rule of control and tidiness is a slippery slope, . Because while drinking a bit too much in public is completely socially acceptable – even applauded – in this country (as opposed to in the US, for example), the line is not clear.
And, because it’s not set in stone, it is incredibly easy to cross it. What begins as a convivial networking night out wiith friends/colleagues/contacts can soon become a mess of inappropriate advances, embarassing comments and other major faux pas that could do actual damage to your reputation and even your company,
So in answer to your question: play it safe. I don’t know what kind of drunk you are, but if you’re serious about advancing in your career, you better be the type who doesn’t appear drunk, or you’d be best off just having a few and going home.
If the prospect of free alcohol gets you really worked up, remind yourself that if you excel iat work, rather than sabotaging it for a bottle’s worth of bubbly, free drink will stop being a novelty.
The rules are vague, so impose your own. I’d say: if you want to party, do it in your own time. [email protected]