Does this really need to be said? Yes, it does, because it comes up often. As a non-drinker myself, I’ve had adults try to pressure me into drinking. I even had one woman — at a Girl Scout Retreat, no less, after our girls were all asleep — keep pressuring, to the point I said sharply, “What are you? Twelve?”
And yet, I’ve never had anyone slip alcohol into my drink, which is apparently what happened to this poor employee who posted on Reddit.
I’ve been working at this new company since February of this year and we just had our holiday party last Thursday. It is a smallish company with about 40 people.
I stopped drinking at the start of this year just because. At the party I got asked MULTIPLE times why I’m not drinking which was annoying in itself. Then my manager comes over with a drink which she said was non-alcoholic. She’s actually one of the more normal ones so I took her at face value and had a couple of sips. Very quickly realized it was alcohol and then they all laughed and said “haha gotcha ” and “see it didn’t kill ya” and shit like that. I was pissed off and asked why they did that, very calmly but with a straight face. I was then told to ‘lighten up’.
I am considering quitting the job even without another one lined up because I don’t want to work with them any more after this. What legal recourse do I have if any? To be clear, I don’t wish for any individuals there to be charged criminally or go to jail or anything (if that’s even possible). However if there’s a possibility of negotiating a severance package as a result of this, that’s something I would like to explore.
While I don’t know Canadian law (this took place in Canada), I would absolutely think asking for a severance package is a good plan. As is contacting an employment attorney.
In fact, I would recommend contacting an employment attorney ASAP. I also would not worry about getting people fired. If I found out that employees at my company had tricked another employee into drinking, I would ensure those employees were terminated. And I would consider calling the police.
Employment attorney Jon Hyman says, “That’s what we in the legal biz call a battery. Also, if she has a known substance abuse issue, that’s disability harassment. Regardless, it’s a horrible thing to do to someone. I’d run from that company as quickly as I could because that’s a toxic workplace.”
The writer said they quit drinking “just because.” But many non-drinkers (myself included) don’t drink for very good reasons. I don’t drink for religious reasons. Others don’t because they take medicine that contraindicates drinking, suffer from alcoholism, have a difficult time making good choices after drinking, or have alcohol allergies. It could be dangerous to sneak alcohol into a drink — just like you wouldn’t sneak peanut butter into something and lie about it.
But even if the person isn’t drinking “just because,” you just don’t do that.
It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It’s illegal. And a non-drinker is still a team player even without alcohol on board. And yes, a non-drinker can entertain clients.
If you are uncomfortable with a coworker or team member refusing to drink, you are the one with a problem. Please seek help.