Staff react angrily as major insurance firm introduces drinking ban during working hours

No more liquid lunches.

Staff at Lloyd’s of London, a major insurance market located in the city’s financial district, have reportedly reacted angrily to a rule prohibiting them from consuming alcohol during working hours. According to the Evening Standard, an internal memo was issued this week advising staff of changes to the Employee Guide, changes which were made following an overall HR policy review conducted at the firm throughout last year. As a result, staff are prohibited from consuming alcohol between the hours of 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday and face being sacked for gross misconduct if found in breach of that agreement. The memo, which was leaked to the Evening Standard, revealed that the ban was introduced after an analysis of grievance and disciplinary cases over the last two years found that “roughly half” were related to alcohol misuse. “The London market historically had a reputation for daytime drinking but that has been changing and Lloyd’s has a duty to be a responsible employer, and provide a healthy working environment. The policy we’ve introduced aligns us with many firms in the market,” the memo read. “Drinking alcohol affects individuals differently. A zero limit is therefore simpler, more consistent and in line with the modern, global and high performance culture that we want to embrace. “After work, if you are representing Lloyd’s, but no business is being conducted, you can have an alcoholic drink and the onus remains on you to be professional at all times.” A number of staff at Lloyd’s are believed to be furious at the measure, with comments on an internal intranet site hitting out at what one employee said was a “heavy handed” approach. “Lloyd’s used to be a fun place to work. Now it is the PC capital of the world where you can’t even go out for a lunchtime pint anymore?” one employee wrote. “Was there really a need for this? The vast majority of my colleagues know how to drink responsibly during work hours, and would never let their lunch hour socialising affect their work or decision making,” another added. Could you see something like this catching on over here?