I have a Summer Soiree coming up on Friday and wanted to know if it is typical for the employee or their significant other to be the designated driver at an employer function.
Is this is a societal norm I am clueless about? Does gender have any influence?
Please report if in the wrong forum, thank you.
Who is going to bitch the least about not being able to drink? That’s your DD.
I don’t recall there being any norm involved. Or you could just both not drink and have something to talk about on the ride home.
I don’t think either of us particularly care, nor will either get sloshed. Just gauging my naiveté. Thanks for the response.
With my wife and myself it’s usually me as the DD since I don’t drink much. If I wanted to drink more then we’d alternate or come up with another equitable arrangement. I don’t think there are gender norms for this.
As an employee, I would be very careful about drinking too much at an event put on by the employer. You never know who’s watching, who’s listening, and who can be offended.
On one hand I see this thinking, but I also see being a square as equally antagonistic. I don’t work in a Mad Men-esque environment but parts of the culture are certainly archaic. I think the term social drinking would apply.
I think, given the responses, I’m leaning towards myself being the DD just holding onto the same one drink for the evening.
Oh yes. It amazes me the amount of people who happily get drunk at company events. There should be no need for a DD!
If I have more than 2 drinks in an evening I don’t drive. I’m not close to drunk but I consider it safer to not drive after consuming even that limited number of drinks. I’m not in danger of behaving badly with the work crowd, but I’d still prefer to have a DD for the trip home.
I don’t think Norm was ever the DD. He usually walked home from the bar.
At company functions, I generally order one drink (gin or vodka on the rocks) and then keep refilling the glass from a handy water pitcher, or the drinking fountain if I have to. And occasionally get a little fresh ice from the bartender.
Same. So flatly, I never drink more than 2 drinks at any company party. I keep safely within my limits.
If one of you is going to get sloshed at a company party, it definitely should not be the employee. It’s better if you both keep your wits about you. If partying with your boss brings a feeling of wishing you had a drink, you should leave the party and have a drink elsewhere.
I’m retired now, but in retrospect I wish I had taken that advice.
But there’s this two hour window after the second drink where’d I’d never dream of driving, but also where I’m in absolutely no danger of saying or doing something unwise. Assuming I’d enjoy spending time with my co-workers in that sort of mildly-humming state (and there are co-workers that I consider friends), I think it’d be well within the bounds of reason and prudence to rely on someone else to be the DD: having a DD doesn’t mean you are going to be lining up shots.
Right. Nobody but you (the person drinking it) can tell a Coke/Diet Coke in a glass from a Cuba Libre or the like. Which was the whole point of a Cuba Libre, except in reverse. 
I can’t believe you used the word “soiree”
I’ve gone beyond drunk at company functions a number of times, as have many of my colleagues. It has occasionally got people into trouble, but not me - possibly because I like my job and get on with all my colleagues, so it’s unlikely I’d say something offensive while my guard is down.
For events where partners are invited, we’d either get a taxi or if she didn’t want to drink, she would drive. I don’t think there is a societal expectation as to who ‘should’ do what.
Societal norms only come into play at the Company orgy.
When I was a driver, I was held to a 0.04 BAC. I was told by the company nurse during a random drug screening that I could safely metabolize one drink per hour. I assume she meant remain legal to drive. But I never put it to the test; I just don’t drink much at all, anyway.
I’d prefer not to go to a company function in the first place 
However, if forced to attend, I’d volunteer to be the driver if necessary, but I’m equally happy to just attend and not drink either. If I’m going out drinking, I want to do that with people I actually like, not people I have to work with.
Q: Is there a Hotel nearby with a shuttle service? If reservations are made in advance, any guest can be assured of a safe trip there and a good nights sleep.
They can drive in the morning, right?