WeWork Cos. In many WeWork locations, perks include unlimited free craft beer.
When Stephanie, a 26-year-old New York advertising creative, quit drinking in March this year, the last place she expected to face temptation was in the workplace.
But often when she visited WeWork locations in New York City as well as her hometown of Dallas to work for a marketing startup she had launched with a friend, she found the drinking culture there inescapable.
WeWork is an international network of shared workspaces serving 175,000 people in 64 cities worldwide. Starting at $190 per month, the company provides subscription-based shared workspaces for startups, entrepreneurs, small businesses and freelancers. In many locations, that comes with perks, including unlimited free craft beer.
‘As a recent non drinker, the nearly constant presence of alcohol in the workplace does make me uncomfortable at times.’ —Stephanie, a New York advertising creative
“I’ve always found it a bit backwards that a free-for-all beer tap has become a must-have statement piece of a cool workspace,” Stephanie — whose last name has been withheld at her request to protect her anonymity — said. “As a recent non drinker, the nearly constant presence of alcohol in the workplace does make me uncomfortable at times.”
On Tuesday, WeWork announced in an email to users in New York City that it’s experimenting with a pilot program to “help manage the provision of alcohol in our spaces.” Through the program, all taps will be controlled with the same key card used to get into the building. Employees will now be limited to four 12-ounce pours of beer per person, per day. The tap will be locked outside the hours of 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. to prevent early morning and late-night drinking.
“WeWork has been working on piloting an innovative, software-driven mechanism to help manage the provision of alcohol in our spaces for some time,” a spokeswoman told MarketWatch. “In addition to the supervision already provided by our community management team, mechanized tap controls will enhance this amenity we provide to our members.”
After the #MeToo movement put workplace harassment and drinking culture in the spotlight, many companies began to eliminate holiday parties.
Silicon Valley startups have been criticized for the “bro culture,” a reputation that includes drinking in excess. Some commentators doubted WeWork has a problem with on-site drinking, but many companies are still cracking down on alcohol consumption.
After the #MeToo movement put workplace harassment and drinking culture in the spotlight, many companies began to eliminate holiday parties over the past year or crack down on open bars in an attempt to limit bad behavior.
This is not WeWork’s only sweeping policy change this year: In July, it announced it will eliminate meat from all official office events and banned employees from expensing pork, red meat, or poultry when eating out on the company’s budget.
“New research indicates that avoiding meat is one of the biggest things an individual can do to reduce their personal environmental impact, even more than switching to a hybrid car,” the company said in a memo regarding the change. The carbon footprint of a beer is significantly smaller, but the policy could lead to fewer hangovers.
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