Booze ban | Is limiting alcohol in the workplace just masking systemic issues?

Beyond the pounding headache and extreme dehydration, there’s likely to be that dreaded question running through the mind of a hungover person: “What did I say last night?”

For many people, this is enough to send you into a frenzy of anxiety at the thought of making a fool of yourself amongst peers. Nothing could make this worse, right? Wrong. You’ve woken up after a work night out, and now the anxiety doubles.

In business, there’s been a long-standing debate as to where professionalism and one’s personal life ought to cross over. Arguably, work events where alcohol is present leaves space and opportunity for these boundaries to become blurred, and ultimately for people to say and do things they wouldn’t usually do in the workplace.

Earlier this week, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) urged businesses to cut down on the amount of alcohol served at work events to limit incidences of workers behaving inappropriately.