I would like to have our team meetings off-site, and there is a cozy bar nearby. This meeting would be during regular working hours in the afternoon. One employee said she did not want to go to the bar because she doesn't want to be exposed to people on the team getting drunk. We do have a beer or two but no one has ever gotten drunk. The last time I set the meeting for the bar she refused to come to work that day and worked from home (which is allowed in general).

I feel this person is not a team player and would like to give her a write-up. Is this OK?

Rita Risser replies:

From a legal standpoint, it depends on her reason for not wanting to go to the bar. If her reason is related either to her religion or to the fact that she is a recovered alcoholic, in either case she is entitled to a "reasonable accommodation" from the company. The accommodation is very straightforward - stop meeting in bars.

If her reason is not related to those two reasons, legally she may not be protected. But from a values perspective, this is terrible management. The point of a team meeting is, first, to get work done in a productive manner, and second, to encourage team bonding. Under any circumstance, the first point is not being met, and in this case, the second point is not being met as well.