I live in Germany and a lot of companies still have free beer on tap and the managers will pressure you to drink during work hours
From the article you posted:
> Therefore, in most companies and public administration, it is solely at the discretion of employers as to what extent they tolerate alcohol consumption by their employees. The employer has the right to impose sanctions on the employee who refuses to take an alcohol test, which may result in loss of employment or suspension [53]. In Germany, regional and cultural particularities can be decisive; for example, in Lower and Upper Bavaria and in Franconia it is still common for many companies’ employees to have a glass of beer during the lunch break.
I work for a German-owned industry corporation (in a nearby EU country) and would get fired for having a friday beer with colleagues if not at company-arranged “friday bar” or some other event :)
No national law requires this strictness, but +95% of companies in my country have simular rules in place.
My German colleagues are mostly serious when saying “Kein Bier vor vier” (i.e. no beers before 16:00/work ends).
My wife is in mechanical engineering. I am in academia. I think in my job there would be more pressure against it, but that's mainly because it's younger people. In my wife job, the CEO goes around encouraging people to drink while working, especially on Fridays.
> My German colleagues are mostly serious when saying “Kein Bier vor vier” (i.e. no beers before 16:00/work ends).
4pm doesn't mean that work ends then though. Many people continue working after that beer.
If this means factories full of machinery that can be very dangerous if safety rules aren't followed, it probably makes sense that they'd have stricter rules than say a small webdev shop.
I think there is a 20/80 split between blue collar and white collar workers here at the HQ in Westphalia. So mostly a cubicle-farm of sorts.
I asked around and my german colleagues tell me it is a Bavarian thing with the beers.
> 4pm doesn't mean that work ends then though. Many people continue working after that beer.
We are also offered a beer a few times at official Company events etc. and most can have a beer and do proper work after. It is also legal to drive after a single normal-sized beer.
In many west european countries it is forbidden to consume alcohol in work hours, except at company-arranged events etc. and/or to be intoxicated.
For a comparative overview of the practical differences: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9779578/