Alcohol has long been a standard for most corporate events, from hosting office parties, birthday celebrations, networking events, and many more. While it can be a good thing to loosen up and socialize with your officemates, serving alcohol during these events can greatly pose a risk even after the party is over.

Remember, drinking too much alcohol can lead to several things, and what we’re trying to avoid is drunk driving, which can lead to injuries, accidents, and even untimely death. This is mainly the reason why servers of alcohol should obtain RBS certification and licenses. 

In this article, we will learn more about the risks involved when serving alcohol at any workplace event. By understanding these risks, we can greatly avoid the scenarios leading to liability issues, negative feedback on the company’s reputation, and many more.

Planning

Any successful event starts with careful planning. So before you even start thinking of serving your guests some of the best champagnes, tequilas, and beers on the planet, the best way to start any event is to plan things through.

It can either be giving them beer tickets or putting some limitations on their drinks if you are asking why. One of the reasons is that you don’t want to deal with guests going home drunk.

Why? Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of °fatalities in the country. One of the most unfortunate things regarding drunk driving is someone might be involved in the accident aside from the driver itself. You don’t want to deal with casualties because you’ve overserved your guests, right?

Hire Trained Bartenders

Like in most states, it is required by the state to have individuals serving alcohol undergo training or RBS certification before they can even serve alcohol. This training aims to provide necessary knowledge and education on the risks involved when serving alcoholic beverages to bars, events, and many more.

As a result, you not only reduce the risk of drunk driving but also you might not have to face any legal responsibilities that may come after once the event is over. Trained bartenders who obtained RBS certification know how to detect already-intoxicated individuals. They also know how to spot minors and when a person has had enough.

Not only do you limit the possibility of legal issues, but you ensure every guest you have goes home safe and secure to their family. Of course, there’s no denying the fun and festive activities that come with alcohol drinking. Still, it is also important that lives are at stake if you happen to serve them while they are already intoxicated.

Handle Intoxicated Guests with Care

Well, intoxication can’t be prevented when everyone is having fun while loosening out from the stresses of work life. As a result, there’s a likelihood you will be facing an intoxicated guest in the middle of the event. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do about how to deal with them.

• Encourage your staff, yourself, or bartender to stop serving drinks to intoxicated individuals. While few of them understand it, you can also work your way through by imposing a two-drink per-person rule. This way, you minimize disputes while reducing the risk of a person getting intoxicated.
• Always have security. More often than not, intoxicated guests can be a little bit irate and disruptive when alcohol goes through their heads, which is why a security personnel or a bounce can be a good addition to your crew if need be.
• Another alternative way to reduce intoxication during the event is serving more food and non-alcoholic beverages to your guests. When a person is full, they don’t have the thirst to consume alcoholic drinks, which will go well for you to avoid dealing with intoxicated guests.

Enforce Rules and Use Effective Signage

Posting visible signs of rules and regulations about alcohol drinking should serve its purpose for your guests. Especially in their workplace, nobody wants to make a fool of themselves after the event ends. Therefore, posting these signs will help them adhere to your cause and will most likely follow it.

In addition, as we mentioned earlier, you can also offer them non-alcoholic drinks for better alternatives. Finally, enforce your grounds for not serving alcohol to minors present in the event.

During the event, always ask for IDs if you are suspicious and tell your staff to be strict but polite at the same time when serving drinks more than the limit. You can also serve snacks, and as many foods as it would come so it minimizes alcohol intoxication.

Conclusion

It’s okay to drink and have fun during workplace events. However, it can quickly go south if guests can drink whatever they want and the frequency they want. As the saying goes, it’s okay to drink but always drink in moderation.

Lives lost in drunk driving accidents are going up over the years, and we’d want that number to go down as quickly as we can, which is why we should be able to enforce strict protocols and procedures.