Getting back to the work ethic question .... the attitude at work also very much depends on whether you, or your colleagues, are unionised....

Some unionised members just do enough to get by, and then complain when newcomers (with the Brit/Asian etc work ethic) get promoted over them. oh, and complain isn;t just winging in the office - it is official complaints to the union!

Mind you, as employment law in BC is not as rigorous as in UK.... I can see why the unions are so popular

Clare

re. the drinking at lunchtime issue my problem with the attitude shown by many of my colleagues is they are not giving you a choice

as a fully grown adult I think it's the individuals choice as to whether they think they can behave responsibly i.e. have one drink with a meal and then return to work

I think I can manage this perfectly well without descending into becoming an alcoholic

I can see the alternative viewpoint but like I say I think you have to trust people to be responsbile and if they can't they deserve to be dealt with accordingly

I understand your point. However, that is exactly what people said 30 years ago and it just didn't work for us. So the laws and the culture changed.

By the way, in Canada we have police "stop checks". At one of these stop checks, the police stop all cars and may look you over and sniff your breath for any hint of alcohol as you sit in your car. If they smell alcohol, you may be asked to take the breathalyzer test to determine if you are over the legal limit. You'll be in big trouble if you are.

In Canada, the union mentality is the strongest in BC.

I should add for the avoidance of doubt I have no sympathy for people who choose to drink and drive

I walk to work everyday so I don't think a pint at lunchtime causes any harm!

A two mile run has the same effect - it's amazing how much you stink after a morning run if you've had a few beers the night before.

I guess if you don't sweat it out, it oozes out all by itself during the course of the day.

Very true, but the alcohol problem has been replaced by a drug one, marijuana, crystal meth and cocaine being the drug choices of the day with the people I deal with. We have had this conversation before of course, but the amounty of thirty-somethings in BC who smoke pot day in day out must surely equal the people in other cultures who have a pint.

Personally I think if you're in Canada then you should follow the etiquette regarding alchohol, you're not in the U.K. anymore.

I think it makes sense not to drink at lunch time. After all you have to go back to the office in the afternoon and no doubt you'll stink up the office with boozy breath and be less productive! I can see why employers frown upon it.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy a drink (or few!), but think it's wrong to indulge at work. Most clients find it offensive.


Int

Unless it's Stampede week and the client is supplying the booze

I've never seen a problem with a pint or two with food at lunchtime. Obviously, it's different if you turn up at the office drunk as a skunk, but if you're sensible about it and know your own limit, it's fine.

We're all adults, and a lunch hour is free time to use at your discretion - or at least should be. It's not playtime at school, where going to the chippy at lunchtime is strictly forbidden!

Just my opinions of course - feel free to debate them as you will!

Lunchtime is "free time" - my experience is that lunchtime tends to get invaded by pizza & pop meetings.

Depends on the company you work for - I've been micromanaged in the past - I felt very much like a 12 year old kid again.

Yes, some other problems have replaced smoking (tobacco) and alcoholism. Crystal meth, and cocaine are not used by the average Canadian - those are more a problem with a select group within the population, like those you have to deal with. Marijuana has become much more popular over the years. It seems to be especially popular in BC.

Despite all of the above, I believe that Canada (in general) is much better off regarding substance abuse than it was 35 years ago because alcoholism is much less a problem now than it used to be. That's how big a problem alcoholism used to be in Canada. When I was growing up, it seemed like a third of the adult male population were a bunch of drunks. It's not like that today.

The police have educated realtors & building inspectors in identifying marijuana grow-ops in Calgary.

All of it can't be going south of the border - certainly you can smell it being openly smoked downtown.

Always beware of assumable mortgages in Calgary - it's been known as a way of disposing of buildings used for grow-ops.

I spend most evenings on the balcony in the summer, and the smell of dope in the air is rife (and no, it's not coming from me!)

It doesn't bother me too much, the mosquito lamp smells far worse.

Canadians don't smoke dope just like hockey players don't use steroids ....