Poll: A question for the guys, having a beer with your boss , have you done it?

[krazykidd]

Pretty straightfoward question , have you ( or would you) gone out for a beer with your boss. It could be a pass boss or current boss ( even a futur boss if you liked him enough ). I ask this because last week my boss invited a few of us out for a couple of drinks. Even though i thought it inappropriate , i went anyways. Something about the idea of going for a drink with my boss made me uncomfortable, i was afraid it would be awkard. Fortunately i was wrong , it was a very fun and interesting night. I know on television, going out for a drink with ones boss is not uncommon , but never would i thought that it happened in real life. Now how often is the question .

So here's where you come in. Have you ever gone out for a drink ( at a bar) with your boss?

For those who never done it , would you be open to the idea to going out for a drink with your boss?

 

[Heronblade]

Given that I don't drink beer, no

I have had a few glasses of wine with one of my former bosses if that counts. I can tell you she gets quite amusing when tipsy.

 

[Esotera]

I haven't been invited personally by my boss to go for a drink, but have been invited to a general social event (which I declined anyway). I'd probably accept if a boss asked my personally, assuming it was a relatively small gathering - I'm up for getting to know peope better as long as it's not in a massive group.

 

[alphamalet]

I have and it was a good time. So long as neither party gets belligerently drunk (which any responsible adult should be avoiding anyway) and you maintain a degree of basic professionalism, then there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[shootthebandit]

I dont see why not, provided i got on with my boss. If i thought he was a dick i wouldnt want to engage with him socially simply to show face or brown nose. If he was decent id definitely go for a few drinks and just play it by ear. If its only a steady few then ill only have a few and if everyone else is having a skinfull then ill have a skinfull too

 

[Catfood220]

I've not been for a beer with my latest boss, but I have in the past with other bosses. It is kinda awkward at first, but as the drink flows and inhabitions and social barriers get torn down, it can be fun.

Though it can be awkward again in the morning if you say or do something embarrassing the night before.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Closest thing was having a beer with some of my professors (college).
I'm pretty friendly with my boss though.

 

[Kurai Angelo]

You left out the option "I'm a man and I'm offended by your exclusion of women"; I don't particularly see the relevance of only males being able to answer the question, but oh well.

On topic: I have done in a sense; I've drank in the company of my employer, but only at company staff parties where everyone one was included. So, it didn't feel overly personal or intimate. On the other hand, I got completely shit faced and made of fool of myself anyway!

 

[Nouw]

In another life I probably would have. But alas, I am living in New Zealand where the go-to job isn't with an older Korean as boss in an office place.

 

[Abomination]

I've done it and it was alright but it was when I literally worked AT a bar... so I guess it qualifies by all the criteria there.

However, outside of that job no and I don't think I would as I believe such fraternization between direct superiors is not suitable for a proper workplace environment.

I would, of course, be fine with doing so with say a lateral equivalent to my boss in another department.

 

[FalloutJack]

Not only am I not the social drinking type (I'm more the play endless pool with a glass of coke type.), but I don't think he is either. He's a good guy, but this may not be either of our thing.

 

[UniversalRonin]

We went bowling as an IT team. It was a right laugh.

 

[Yopaz]

No, probably because I don't have a boss.

I don't have anything against the idea though as long as the boss is nice. It's actually quite normal around here, but we're generally quite casual in everything we do. I guess it could be fun.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

I've done it several times, so yeah, I would do it again.

 

[Playful Pony]

I don't drink beer, but my boss is also my dad so yeah I've had a few drinks with him over the last few years X3. Not just the two of us though, it's not a dad+daugther thing we do together X3. A friend of mine working at an IT company regularily go out for drinks with the people he works close with, including management, and they have a good time. As long as you remember it's a company outing and not to drink too heavily I see no problem. Of course it depends on the person, some people you just don't want to go drinking with and I can't go around claiming all bosses are great people!

I like wine and I like rum, those are my favorites...

EDIT: Ohw, I didn't notice this was a guys only question D=.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I'm a girl and I quite frequently go out for drinks with my boss, and his boss as well. I get on really well with both of them.

We're a friendly company and spending social time with colleagues is actively encouraged. The management structure isn't at all authoritarian, so there's nothing uncomfortable about it.

(Also, I'm slightly curious as to why gender was relevant in this question.)

 

[MetalMagpie]

I've done it and it was alright but it was when I literally worked AT a bar... so I guess it qualifies by all the criteria there.

However, outside of that job no and I don't think I would as I believe such fraternization between direct superiors is not suitable for a proper workplace environment.

I would, of course, be fine with doing so with say a lateral equivalent to my boss in another department.

I think it depends what your work environment is like.

I work for a software company and it's pretty relaxed. When a new person joins the company, we all go out for company-funded drinks together - everyone from interns up to the senior leadership team. And on the last Friday of every month we clock off at 5pm and have beers and pizza in the office.

My manager is just a colleague who happens to manage my team, so I don't treat him any differently to how I treat any other colleague.

 

[Terramax]

It's very common in the UK. Heck, we go to nightclubs with our managers. I don't like it. It's horrible in fact. It feels awkward. I'm quite an awkward guy to most 'normal' British people.

However, one of my ex-bosses has become one of my best friends, and I drank with him all the time (when I lived in the UK).

 

[Colour Scientist]

I have done with two of my past bosses, yeah, it was really good fun.

We always got along really well when I worked there though. It creates a really nice working environment.

 

[Antari]

In my case. Ummmm ... Ya. On a regular basis. In the business world it's known as networking. Just don't get shit faced and you'll be fine. And its not your boss you need to worry about, its future business deals. They rarely are signed in office environments.