LinkedIn News article (2022) by Vicky McKeever
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The LinkedIn article by Vicky McKeever covers an incident at PwC where an employee suffered a serious head injury after attending a work event. The employee alleged that the event involved a game of pub-golf, an activity notorious for heavy alcohol consumption, and claimed that PwC owed him a duty of care. While that case was the focus, similar issues have been highlighted across other sectors by the publications above.
Excessive drinking games and alcohol-fuelled events have long been part of corporate life in the UK and US. As someone with 35+ years of corporate experience in blue-chip firms and with blue-chip clients, I can confirm this culture firsthand. In the UK especially, client entertainment and deal-making were often used as excuses to push drinking to extremes, with the pressure falling on both clients and staff.
This was not limited to client events; internal corporate gatherings frequently crossed boundaries. I once personally witnessed a colleague being sacked during a heated drunken argument at a winery in Southern Europe. The situation unfolded publicly between him and his manager after tensions around a missed training opportunity. The next morning, both parties had no recollection of the tirade. My colleague had effectively been “sacked and un-sacked” within one night—all under the influence of alcohol.
In contrast to that anecdote, the PwC case involved physical injury—raising serious legal questions about where personal responsibility ends and employer liability begins. The outcome of such cases may shape the future of corporate responsibility around events where alcohol is served and historically encouraged.
This evolving landscape presents a clear opportunity for ALCONOT™ and other alcohol-free brands. Companies have strong incentives to host alcohol-free events, reducing risk, demonstrating care for employee wellbeing, and protecting themselves from liability. As a former manager in one of the world’s largest consultancy firms, I believe it is time for the UK and US corporate culture to evolve. Excessive drinking should not be a badge of honour or stamina test. Unlike in many mainland European nations—where heavy alcohol consumption at work events is frowned upon—UK and Irish corporate culture has too often embraced it.
The shift towards safer, alcohol-free alternatives could be the foundation of a more responsible and inclusive corporate culture.