This highly depends on the type of company you work for. There almost never is a strict no-alcohol policy in most small to medium-sized companies (who make up the majority of the workforce) in Europe.

It's generally a legal thing in the US.

If you have alcohol at the company, the company winds up liable if something happens. If you simply buy a round at a bar or shop, the liability is the establishment's.

And, if you think the US is bad, try Canada. One of the senior VP's at a company I knew threatened to fire the director of HR because there was no beer at an all-hands meeting. :)

> these days most workplaces have a strict no-alcohol policy

I’d be curious where you’re working because this definitely isn’t true in the UK (Friday afternoon pints at work are customary), nor in France (most canteens stock wine for lunch). And in Germany, at least in academia, having a drink in the afternoon at work is also often acceptable.

In Germany all the companies I've worked in have a strict no-alcohol policy. But it's relatively recent (~10-15 years).

I work in mid-sized Berlin startup. At least among startups, beer, and sometimes wine, in the fridge is completely normal.

Where I work it‘s not regularly consumed with lunch (kein Bier vor Vier applies) but it does happen on occasion.

cite there may well be displinary consequences for being drunk at work but not for going out to lunch and having a drink with lunch.

And whilst not as many companies have on premises bars any more go to almost every company in silicon roundabout and they will have beer in the fridge.

Maybe not, but that quickly becomes an hour long + lunch and usually people don't take more than half an hour for lunch - because if they take longer they have to work longer.

And your point is??

As a Salaried employee (as 99.9 % of hn readers are) I quite often took more than an hour for lunch - then again I used to get into the office 20 mins earlier than almost everyone.