We all know cracking a cold one on-site isn’t exactly standard workplace practice.
But when it comes to downing non-alcoholic booze on the tools, the debate over whether it’s harmless or out of line is fizzing up more than a poorly poured pint.
A viral TikTok video sparked a social media storm last week after lawyer Roxanne Hart from Hart & Co Lawyers addressed a commenter’s concerns about workers sipping zero-alcohol beers on the job.
While the drinks are legal, the optics of a tradie working with a “beer” in hand have divided opinion faster than that mate who can open stubbies with his teeth can crack into a bottle of Great Northern.
Despite containing less alcohol than a kid’s fruit juice, these drinks still have some management teams (aka the fun police) bubbling over with anger.
“I had a business reach out to me to say that they have staff members working on their construction site, and whilst working, they are drinking non-alcoholic beers, but they look like beers”, Ms Hart explained in the video.
“So they’re saying what can they do about that – is there anything they can do?”
Hart suggested concerned firms could issue “lawful directions” to workers to steer clear of drinks that look like alcohol while on-site.
“My view is it would be reasonable and lawful direction to tell employees that while they’re actually working and on duty not to consume non-alcoholic drinks that look like alcohol, so for example, Heineken Zero, Great Northern Zero etc.”
“And if employees continue to engage in that behaviour, you can always issue them a warning if required.”
If a firm chose to implement a non-alcoholic booze ban into company policy, action could include informal warnings, and for repeat offenders, termination might even be possible.
“I’d always recommend to a business, before even putting in place a policy, discuss it with the staff … and then only if staff refused to comply with that direction, then I would put in place a policy, and then I’d do an informal discussion, and then warnings.” Hart later told News Limited.
Don’t piss up your perception
For firm bosses, banning non-alcoholic booze is less about what’s in the grog and more about how passers-by and safety officers perceive it.
Having open beer cans, regardless of alcohol content, could be misconstrued as workers getting drunk on the job, potentially hammering the business’s reputation.
“I understand it’s the equivalent amount of alcohol as fruit juice, so it’s not really a huge issue, but still, it’s not a good look, and I kind of get that from the business’s perspective in those particular roles,” she said.
“The business can come out and say, ‘No, that was a non-alcoholic version.’ But sometimes, the damage is already done.”
No cheers from tradies
However, not everyone is raising a glass to the suggestion of banning alcohol-free beers on site, with many online commenters labelling those with an issue as “fun police”.
“They’re not drinking alcohol, so leave them alone,” TikTok user Matt Lawler wrote.
“The office worker, dreaming up their micro-management policies whilst sipping on a crisp Chardonnay during their work lunch,” Tradie Matt Beaster said.
“Imagine trying to tell your employees they couldn’t drink soft drinks…same thing, surely?” Troy Watson put.
Build-it readers agreed, so we asked Queensland-based foreman Chris Papi if he planned to outlaw alcoholic beers on the site he supervises at any time soon.
“That doesn’t sound like something any company should be micromanaging,” he told Build-it.
“If it became an issue at a particular site, I think it would be reasonable to ask them to have stubbie coolers that cover the drink label, but trying to dictate what they can and can’t drink is too far.”
Meanwhile, Gold Coast plumber Dylan warned Build-it that banning non-alcoholic beers could create broader issues for firms in the future.
“I’m always drinking soft drinks at work, and you could say that looks like a beer can. Should I not drink that? What about eating certain fruits like bananas, which contain 0.3 per cent alcohol?”
“How about we just stop pandering to Karens and working for micro-managing employers instead,” he joked.
