Office happy hours, client dinners and other after-hours work gatherings lose their luster as more people feel the pull of home.

Office happy hours, client dinners and other after-hours work gatherings lose their luster as more people feel the pull of home

Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin.

After an initial burst of postpandemic happy hours, rubber chicken dinners and mandatory office merriment, many employees are adopting a stricter 5:01-and-I’m-done attitude to their work schedules. More U.S. workers say they’re trying to draw thicker lines between work and the rest of life, and that often means clocking out and eschewing invites to socialize with co-workers. Corporate event planners say they’re already facing pushback for fall activities and any work-related functions that take place on weekends.

  • Natanael
    30•1 year ago

    Because “3rd places” have been hollowed out, especially non monetized ones, there’s fewer places to just meet people

    • @[email protected]
      7•1 year ago

      Yeah, it’s overwhelmingly clear that too many people who can make decisions have this idea that “not revenue generating” = worthless.

    • @MJBrune
      2•1 year ago

      With 3rd places needing to be profitable, it puts a really big stress on them getting throughput. So then that turns them into bars, restaurants, pool halls, or arcades. If they don’t they don’t make money and they can’t keep the space they are renting.

    • @SCB
      -3•1 year ago

      3rd places were always monetized.

      • @Phegan
        6•1 year ago

        Parks and community centers were valid non-monititzed 3rd places.

        And whether or not you agree with them, places of worship were often an additional third place.

        • @SCB
          1•1 year ago

          Parks and community spaces are presently non-monetized and usage has not changed, so it doesn’t really make sense to include them in this discussion.

          Same with place of worship.