Posted on Thu, Jun 03, 2010
by Lyudmila Bloch, Etiquette Expert New York City
Summer is almost here and company-sponsored events – picnics, ballgames, and golf tournaments – are just around the corner. Since 2006, business-savvy companies have celebrate National Business Etiquette Week, June 7 - 11, 2010 by reminding their employees that they should be on their best behavior when entertaining clients and attending business networking functions. This would of course include their drinking behavior. Drinking is a big part of socializing and having fun. But how do you control your alcohol intake, and how much is too much?
Common sense must always prevail, advise etiquette experts and HR executives -- especially, if you’re trying to establish yourself at your new job. But things could get out of hand in a very short order if you can’t or don’t know how to handle more than one drink.
Female employees in particular should rethink their drinking habits because women, in general, are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol than their male counterparts. Clinical studies show that women become more intoxicated than men when consuming equivalent amounts of alcohol. Higher estrogen levels, brain chemistry, body fat, enzyme levels in stomach and liver – all are contributing factors in risk assessment for women. Studies also confirm that women show higher blood alcohol levels due to gender-specific differences in the metabolic processes (Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systems).
Drinking etiquette at work should also be emphasized because our driving skills are impaired when BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) is as low as 0.05%. A healthy male drinker of 140 lbs. or more can reach this level after two drinks. An average female drinker will feel the effects of alcohol after just one beer.
Needless to say, the harmful effects of drinking on job performance are well documented because employees often miss work, arrive late, or are less productive during their work hours when recovering from a hangover.
So if you feel peer-pressured to have a quick one (or two) at a company event this summer, simply say “Thank you but I’m driving today!”