The sad decline of the art of excess

Lloyd’s of London introduced a ban on staff drinking alcohol between 9am and 5pm.

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Lloyds of London has called time on lunchtime drinking
(Image credit: 2005 Getty Images)

Are we losing the art of excess? Last week Lloyd's of London introduced a ban on staff drinking alcohol between 9am and 5pm, even at lunchtime. While Lloyd's is alone for now, at least this policy "is the latest act of the now-mighty HR and compliance departments, those once laughed-at dusty parts of the office which now practically run the Square Mile's biggest institutions", says Lucy Tobin in the Evening Standard. Things are radically different compared with 16 years ago, when six Barclays traders "spent £44,000 on wine at Gordon Ramsay's Ptrus (the restaurant threw in the food for free)".

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