Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

Where Drinking at Work Is a Job Requirement Drinking on the job didn't go away -- it evolved.

By Colleen Kane

This story originally appeared on Fortune Magazine

Four Roses Bourbon

Don Draper and many of the other Mad Men characters are poster men and women for a phenomenon once known as the three-martini lunch. The prevalence of heavy midday drinking among execs and other white collar types took a nosedive after the business meal and entertainment tax deduction was reduced to 80% in 1987 and then to 50% in 1994.

But drinking on the job didn't go away–it evolved.

Now: workday-drinking tends toward beer, and it often takes place at the end of the day, as a perk for longer work days. It's happening in numerous workplaces across several industries, and one of those is still advertising.

Ad Men and Women

Some ad agencies are carrying on the tradition of drinking at work, and not just by providing beer. Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, hosts "Trolleys," internal open bar events that have featured liquor from brands on their client list like Svedka and Glenfiddich. (The Trolley name harks back to a rolling cart that delivered booze to agency employees 20 years back.)

At the Arnold Worldwide Ad agency in Boston, there's a beer vending machine nicknamed Arnie.

Employees are given 3-5 drink credits per month, plus additional credits as rewards.

And the New York offices of the marketing communications brand J. Walter Thomson has a 50-foot bar for employee use. A spokesperson told ABC News, "We think it incentivizes and enthuses employees.

"It's generally used for off-hours consumption, but that's not to say there isn't on-hours consumption as well."

Speaking of incentive, the Minneapolis creative agency Colle+McVoy has a Tap Server, which uses free beer as incentive for employees to fill out their timesheets on time. Once they've completed the timesheet, they scan their ID cards and beer flows from the tap.

Tech and Startups

Since the dot-com boom, the tech sector has been known to go heavy on the workplace perks for its long-toiling employees, often including complimentary adult beverages.

The website for the file sharing app Dropbox mentions a Friday Happy Hour on its employee perks page that has elsewhere been deemed Whiskey Fridays.

Zillow and Yelp both have kegbots controlled by tablets that track employee consumption.

Other tech companies that provide beer include Twitter (which also offers wine), CrowdFlower, and Yammer.

Writer Types

Perhaps its not surprising that the office ofModern Drunkard magazine is described by the L.A. Times as one where every hour is happy hour, with a large bar, a beer-stocked fridge, and a small staff encouraged to drink: "It's barely 3 p.m., and Frank Kelly Rich, who edits the bimonthly homage to getting soused, is draining his gin and tonic and eyeing a whiskey bottle on the top shelf. Moments later, he's drinking that as well."

Todd Haug, co-founder of Beer Advocate magazine, wrote in 2013, "We currently have seven full time employees and we're all allowed and encouraged to drink beer as part of the job."

Thrillist Media Group, producer of the Thrillist digital men's lifestyle brand, is also known to have beer on tap and liquor tastings.

Alchohol Industry

Of course, manufacturers of alcohol will want employees to know their product, as in the case of MillerCoors, where employees get free monthly beer. MillerCoors University has a beer appreciation course, in which new employees learn to taste and sample beers. There are also monthly beer tastings, the Chicago location has an employee pub, and some of the company facilities host homebrewing classes.

Buffalo's draft beer equipment supplier KegWorks is proud of its corporate culture. "A kegerator in the break room is probably the most notable way we give conformity the middle finger," says their website.

And one of the recommendations to get a job with KegWorks is: "Subscribe to the newspaper & keep an eye on the obituaries."

Other

Employees at Florida healthcare staffing company Advance Medical are rewarded with "Beer Cart Fridays." It's less expected to see on-the-job drinking in a company related to health care, but this perk comes more regulated than the others. Employees are allowed one beer apiece, to prevent anyone from driving while intoxicated. CEO Jennifer Fuicelli told the Daytona Beach News-Journal the company has very low turnover.

Colleen Kane is a nonfiction writer, essayist, columnist and photographer.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Living

These Are the 'Wealthiest and Safest' Places to Retire in the U.S. None of Them Are in Florida — and 2 States Swept the List.

More than 338,000 U.S. residents retired to a new home in 2023 — a 44% increase year over year.

Business News

DOGE Leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Say Mandating In-Person Work Would Make 'a Wave' of Federal Employees Quit

The two published an op-ed outlining their goals for their new department, including workforce reductions.

Starting a Business

This Sommelier's 'Laughable' Idea Is Disrupting the $385 Billion Wine Industry

Kristin Olszewski, founder of Nomadica, is bringing premium wine to aluminum cans, and major retailers are taking note.

Business News

These Are the Highest Paying Jobs Available Without a College Degree, According to a New Report

The median salaries for these positions go up to $102,420 per year.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Starting a Business

He Started a Business That Surpassed $100 Million in Under 3 Years: 'Consistent Revenue Right Out of the Gate'

Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Bartesian, had run a few small businesses on the side — but none of them excited him as much as the idea for a home cocktail machine.