Ep. 14 Alcohol, Employees, and Regret. The Cocktail That Keeps HR in Business

In this episode we talk about how quickly good vibes at work turn into compliance catastrophes. Ryan Leary and William Tincup are live from the Fama booth at HR Tech, joined by Jenny Olson of NPR and Dave Wentworth of Schoox. The conversation pulls zero punches as we explore the liability, culture erosion, and plain old foolishness that comes from mixing alcohol with the workplace. Key Takeaways ➡ A conference planner got so drunk at her own event she cracked her head in the hotel lobby ➡ The CEO had to personally drive her to the hospital ➡ In-office happy hours might seem fun, but they’ve led to DUIs and toxic behavior ➡ Encouraging on-site drinking to “bond” staff is often a lawsuit waiting to happen ➡ A book called Corporate Drinker is calling out this exact issue in modern workplace culture ➡ Free alcohol is still the go-to draw for many companies trying to feel cool ➡ Ping pong tournaments, food trucks, and family days are safer and way more inclusive ➡ Banning alcohol at work and work events is the easiest way to prevent a PR disaster ➡ The pressure to “be fun” often leads to long-term damage to morale, trust, and safety ➡ Real employee engagement comes from thoughtful experiences, not open bars ➡ If common sense were common, we wouldn’t need HR Chapters 00:00 Live at Fama’s booth from HR Tech 00:20 Intros with NPR and Schoot 01:00 The head injury that changed the vibe of the entire event 02:30 Why no one thought to prevent it 03:30 Office happy hours that go off the rails 04:15 Corporate Drinker and the case for alcohol-free culture 05:00 Alternatives that actually build community 05:40 Why it’s so hard for employers to say no to booze 06:10 Bringing families into workplace culture This limited series is brought to you by FAMA, Modern Candidate Screening. Talent teams use FAMA to improve candidate quality, create safe and inclusive workplaces and place the right leadership for their organizations. You can subscribe and listen to the #9to5Nightmares podcast here https://fama.io/podcasts or here Guest Info Jenny Olson, Head of Communications, NPR Website: https://www.npr.org Dave Wentworth, Talent Platform Evangelist, Schoot LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmwentworth/ Website: https://www.schoox.com/ Connect with us William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary Connect with WRKdefined on your favorite social network Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com