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If you’ve newly joined a business and you’re looking for ways to bond with your work colleagues, then going for a drink after work can seem like the best way to do it. However, it does come with its own set of complications that can further complicate professional and personal relationships and blur the boundaries in a way you don’t want to blur them. If you’ve been invited for after work drinks, it’s important that you stick to soft drinks and here’s why.
- The risk of misunderstandings. Alcohol can impair your judgement and what may seem like a friendly chat to you can escalate into something more. If you are under the influence of alcohol, harmless comments can easily be misinterpreted and before you know it, you find you’re in need of sexual offence solicitors to guide you. Some colleagues may also assume a closer or more personal relationship with you, especially if you’re the boss. This is a misunderstanding that can create tension and blur lines that you don’t want to be blurred.
- Professional boundaries are often disrupted. The biggest concern with drinking with your work colleagues is the fact that they’re going to see another side to you at work. You put on a professional front, which is what you’re supposed to do. You are nice and you are pleasant because that’s what society dictates you to be. They don’t know who you are outside of the office and they don’t know how you would generally act or how you would joke. Professional boundaries are often blurred when it comes to drinking, and that shift can lead to awkward encounters the next day. It’s worse if you don’t remember what happens.
- Office gossip. Gossip is an inevitability in the workplace, but when you’re partaking in shots or drinking glasses of wine with your colleagues that can be amplified. You may be tempted to let some gossip slip, and that can help you to loosen that professional facade, which is not something you want to do. You don’t want the unnecessary drama or the reputation or damage, and if you’re unaware that someone’s taking mental notes while you’re happily reeling off your tongue, that’s a problem.
- The pressure. In some cultures, there is a pressure to join in on after work drinks, especially if people are celebrating a milestone or a project. It can feel awkward to say no, and even if you are not a drinker, you may feel pressured into taking alcohol that you didn’t want. This can wear down on your well-being over time and make you not want to go to the office because you don’t want to feel left out, but you also don’t want to get drunk with people you work with.
Keeping a professional stance in the office is important and avoiding after work drinks can help you to maintain that professional level. Make sure that people understand your opinion on after work drinks and figure out the culture before you get ingrained.
We are not lawyers and this is in no way intended to be used as legal advice . We cannot be held responsible for your results. Always do your own research and seek professional legal help.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
