Work-Life Balance? No One Wants to Socialize After Work Anymore
A big aspect of some jobs used to be after-hours socializing . . . dinners with clients, happy hours with coworkers, or "team-building" events and parties. But now, everyone wants OUT the minute after work ends.
There's an article in the "Wall Street Journal" that talks about the trend away from doing work stuff . . . AFTER work.
The idea is that the pandemic changed a lot of habits . . . and broke down a lot of old traditions . . . and inspired new perspectives.
When people were working from home, they had to focus on a work-life balance, to ensure that they had the space they needed when it was time to WORK . . . and the separation they needed when work was DONE.
The draw of food and drinks isn't even what it used to be. The pandemic taught people to be less reliant on going to restaurants, and drinking among young adults is down a few ticks from what it used to be.
Employers are also shying away from taking up employees' personal time . . . so office events are more frequently scheduled during work hours, or just after . . . rather than being booked for weekends or weeknights.
Of course, there are people whose work IS their life . . . but even crazy go-getters are flaking. One consultant says, the thinking is: "That 20th happy hour isn't going to produce anything better for me."
Originally posted on September 14th, 2023