Alcohol (Optional)

Some company policies are born from a specific happening (like that thing that happened at the Christmas party) or borrowed from other companies that you respect or are just baked in because of employment laws.

I want to share a company policy that we've created at Formisimo that came about in a more natural way. When we launched our startup we didn’t set out to make this policy - in fact we began with the opposite - but as we’ve taken feedback from our staff, and considered how to build the best work environment, it’s come naturally.

Drinking as part of a culture

My business exists in an industry where drinking isn’t just part of obligatory work socials, it can be actively discussed during the hiring process. Free beers on a Friday, monthly parties, a fully-stocked beer fridge. Alcohol can seem to be a key part of trying to get a job in a startup. Not all startups do this, but as the noise tends to be around what we do, like: “Free Beer”, rather than what we don’t do: “We’re not bothered about Beer”, it stands out.

Our team here is diverse, with young and old team-mates, parents and non-parents, introverts and extroverts, people from different backgrounds and with different religious beliefs. Our staff find their way to the office in different ways: some cycle, some drive long distances and some take public transport.

This great mixture of people means that they all view alcohol differently. Some love it, some like it occasionally, some can’t drink and some are just abstaining temporarily. Some want to drink but it’s logistically tough for them to get to home without a car.

If we’re building a company culture that is focused on alcohol-centric events then we may be alienating those that don’t see drinking as a bonus, and we may really alienate those who dislike drinking. In an industry where diversity is an issue, alcohol may play a part in people feeling comfortable about working in a business, or even applying to work in a business.

If you’re a parent, or your religious beliefs include abstaining from alcohol, or you just have a busy weekend ahead, or you have to drive home then how enticing are free drinks on a Friday?

Changing the way we talk about alcohol

Over the last few years we’ve gently been moving away from the default of drinking, to the option of drinking. It’s important to say that we’re not an anti-alcohol company. As much as I want non-drinkers to feel included, I don’t want to exclude drinkers.

These changes are basic:

• We don’t drink in the office.
• We changed our public job adverts and removed any mentions of alcohol, except at the end of the job-spec we now list one of the perks as: “..twice annual team nights that aren't alcohol focused”.
• In interviews we let people know that we’re not an alcohol-focussed business. We also say that we’re not one of those companies where you’re forced to attend out-of-hours social events on a weekly basis.
• When I organise nights out we do activity then food & drink. We’ve had some great team nights at places like Total Ninja and Escape Rooms and axe throwing at Whistle Punks. There’s an hour or two of the night focused on something that isn’t alcohol.
• We put on other social events that aren’t in the evening - like our weekly off-site breakfasts and our irregular pizza lunches, so you can interact with your colleagues without having to be around alcohol.
• If someone isn’t drinking we don’t shame them (i.e. “Can’t believe X isn’t drinking tonight”).
• There’s no pressure to stay out drinking until your line-manager or the CEO decides to go home. If you want to come out for a few hours then head back to your family then that’s fine. If you want to stay out later than everyone else, that’s also fine.

What we don’t do:

• We don’t proclaim alcohol to be evil, and that everyone must abstain.
• We don’t put a stop on drinking at events - if you want a beer then have a beer. We don’t hide alcohol.
• We don’t frown on drinking, or act pass-ag if someone orders a Flirtini. I hear they are delicious.

Hard to measure, easier to feel

Measuring how employees feel about your culture is difficult (there are solutions out there that poll staff regularly) and it's especially difficult to understand the impact of a single policy rolled out over multiple years. What I do feel, more than ever, is that we have a team who feel deeply comfortable being themselves. Our approach to alcohol plays a significant part in this because it defines how comfortable people are when the socialise with their colleagues away from their desks, and that itself is a key component in building a good team culture.

An acid test is: "If I started another company, would I take this policy with me?" and I would absolutely bake this into the culture.