Company Christmas party...open bar, or no?

Having dealt with this, be sure to cover yourself, people do stupid shit. We had a guy wipe out 6 parked cars after a work holiday party. That one hurt the company a bit. They then went to providing hotel rooms to everyone with open bar. A few more incidents which included a lifetime bans from a couple of places and then they went to two drink tickets, the rest is on the employee but they still provide a hotel room. This was my old company and that was a 15 year time span. LOTS of stupid shit happened during these parties, they're some of my fondest work memories.

Current company is two drink tickets and uber / taxi to anywhere home.

FWIW - this is all in Wisconsin and for MEP construction companies, holiday party drinking is taken to a completely different level.

 

Assuming only heterosexual acts will take place. That's gender biased NTTAWWT

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tiger-woods-sued-drunk-driving-death-former-employee-n1005251

 

two drink tickets and a cash bar after. seems to be the standard in the construction industry (commercial) around here. uber codes, a block of rooms at the hotel at a discount to the employees if they want. no company vehicles allowed to be driven to the event.

 

Of course you do, fucker!

 

Am I the one not getting an invite?

 

From an employee standpoint, it's great,
but I learned to not drink at all at company
parties and I liked to drink. Drink loosens
the tongue and you don't want to say something
you can't take back and fuck things up at work.

From an employer standpoint, in light of today's
litigious society, there is no way I would provide
alcohol at all. Send them home with 2 or 3 bottles
of top-shelf liquor or some good beer depending
on their tastes and let them get drunk at home.

Times have changed, people make a big deal out
of everything these days and they sue over nothing.

 

Oh no, you'll be there suffering right with me.

Now let's get drunk!

 

If you're going to do an open bar, hire an insured bartender.

 

20-25 years ago ... some Vendors who supplied some Construction Unions in the Chicagoland had Christmas parties that were Balls Wild events .. open bar , strippers / hookers , Tony Montana piles of Blow ... ETC... but Alas , they went the way of the Dodo Bird as did drinking at lunch ...
but i’ve Got the memories and a Pension !
Kids today are Fucked

 

This is my view. My coworkers always look at me weird or ask me why I don't drink at corporate events. I can barely hold my tongue on shit that needs addressed as is. Bourbon ain't gonna help.

Hell, could probably save yourself time and hassle by giving a $100 Christmas bonus and calling it a day - no party required.

 

35 people? Would they hang out with each other not on company time or run from each other fast as possible? If it's a good group of people - open bar and pay for Ubers.

 

Haven’t read a single reply but all I can think when I read the OP post was litigation. Open bar to employees could be a great way to get sued.

 

Every company event with alcohol that I’ve been to recently, has done the two drink ticket deal. About half the events had cash bars as well.

Staying in Orlando this week, Disney vacation for the mini-people. Pretty large corporate event going on at a resort we went to for dinner last night. From my view... it looks like today’s “kids” are doing just fine by that ol’ metric...

 

This was an issue over 40 years ago.

 

No, beer and wine only, people that want to get hammered will bring a flask or have a bottle out in their car along with some weed and what ever else floats their boat. It's too much liability in this day and age. I grew up in the restaurant business so every Christmas party was a shit show and there was always that one or 2 people that showed up on Monday or the next shift with the walk of shame.

I'm all about having fun and I would have a pint of rum on me but it shouldn't be the bosses/ company's issue on Monday. I was about 19 years old bartending a Christmas party along time ago at a restaurant I was working. Corporate type of party, happy hour but rented the tiki bar out, open bar. Everybody was getting rowdy, one small girl was drinking the same amount of shots/ rounds as the big group. I cut her off when she grabbed my hands and put them on her tits in front off all the employees. I talked to her boss when I told her she had better drink water but she turned angry.

Did the bartenders trick of serving her drinks with no boose and shots of bourbon for everyone else were shots of apple juice for her. It got later with regular guests and their party started to die down mixed with regular guests. I see a little commotion, this girl went into the bathroom and passed out, her girlfriend who was basically just as hammered as her over reacted and decided to call 911. So paramedics are wheeling a stretcher through a crowded restaurant with about 200 people during primetime dinner service.

I'm thinking ok, this is not good for me. So she is strapped down on a stretcher kicking and screaming cursing like a sailor. Her friend is balling hysterically and what little staff was there are going to the parking lot following this office worker screaming hysterically. That's a story why as a boss, I would avoid an open bar Christmas party. I also had a mom try to sue our bar/ restaurant when her son died of a dui crash at a different restaurant and that was 20 years ago. It's the real deal now with liability and people not taking accounts for their own actions and stupidity runs rampit

 

Oh no. I don’t suffer. I create the suffering.

 

If you’ve got the pension, odds are you won’t have the memories for long.

 

You know, we would/have. Pig roasts, boating, dinners, plays, simple lunches, shooting. There will be a few new folks, but I think we'll be fine.

Someone else mentioned beer and wine earlier and I think that's what I'll do. They can do mixed drinks on their own.