Employers are expected to replace the traditional after-work beer with daytime socializing, in an effort to be more inclusive and appealing to non-drinking Gen Z employees.
However, it seems that the reluctance to go out for a night of drinking with colleagues has less to do with avoiding alcohol and more to do with the way the younger generation views socialising as a form of unpaid extra work.
Workers in the UK are taking to TikTok to express their distaste for socialising with colleagues outside of work hours, even saying they should be paid overtime for it.
One of them responded to career influencer Brooklyn Norton’s question about whether people still enjoy work drinks: “If I’m not getting paid to attend, I absolutely will not be going with you guys.”
Another added: ‘I get paid to talk to coworkers from 9 to 5, not after,’ while a fellow critic agreed, saying: ‘Unless company socializations are part of work time, I don’t participate. They’re coworkers, not friends.’
Brooklyn Norton, who writes vlogs about careers, received a flood of responses after she asked why people don’t want to go to the pub after work
Stephen Adeoye, founder and CEO of Beyond Education, has added saying no to work drinks to his list of three things he ‘won’t do in the UK business world’
“I already spend more time with them than I do with my real friends and family. Tough step for me.”
It seems that a key principle for some Gen Z employees is that they are not obligated to do anything work-related, even going to a cafe or bar, if it is outside of work hours.
It certainly explains why daytime activities, such as group breakfasts or days out, have become popular with younger workers, with TikTok posts showcasing these events appearing more and more across businesses in the UK.
Videos of office ‘breakfast clubs’ show employees being offered a variety of croissants, juices and fruit to munch on, while also getting the chance to ‘network’ with their colleagues during the working day.
Another TikTok user also drew a hard line between work and friendship, saying, “My workday is over. I’m a professional, so I can get the job done without being your friend. If you can’t be your friend, I wouldn’t hire such a needy adult.”
A similar sentiment was shared by Tara Berwin, who suggested in her TikTok video that she would “rather go flying” than go to a work party.
In her youth she was an actress and appeared in films such as Gosford Park. She now works for a company in London.
London-based Tara Berwin was a child actor who appeared in films including Gosford Park and now works in a company
A commentator on the Make It Common channel spoke about the pressure she felt to embrace pub culture in order to succeed in the business world.
Part of the restraint undoubtedly has to do with avoiding alcohol.
A recent report found that after-work drinking is on the decline as more people work from home and younger employees are reluctant to drink. For example, 21 percent of under-25s said they didn’t drink alcohol at all last year, up from 14 percent in 2017.
This change in behaviour has led one think tank to propose that employers should ditch the idea of evening drinks altogether and replace them with activities more appealing to employees who are less likely to drink, such as communal breakfasts or days out.
While some employees would rather have a croissant and a nice chat with their colleagues than drink alcohol to socialize with their colleagues, for many it is a straight ‘no’ when it comes to contact with their colleagues.
Some people no longer want to interact with people they simply don’t consider their friends, while others admit that having to spend more time than necessary with colleagues is “exhausting” and “torture.”
One critical commentator wrote: ‘It’s just annoying to be able to interact with much older colleagues without anyone offending me. We just have nothing in common and it feels so forced.’
For Sevda it’s a simple case: ‘Nobody likes their colleagues anymore. That’s why nobody wants to drink anymore.’
Commentators took to TikTok to reveal the real reason why they don’t want to socialize with their colleagues after work
Another commenter was even more scathing, saying: ‘After work drinks are pure torture – I’d rather do literally *anything* else,’ while Annie replied: ‘No. Not anymore (I’m 32). I want to get away from those people.’
SanjySeth said, “Never hang out with coworkers. I couldn’t bear to keep up the exhausting small talk when I don’t have to be with them anymore…”
Another one pulled no punches and said, “No, absolutely not. I hate those fake companies, I despise them.”
For some employees, it’s not so much that they hate their coworkers, but rather that they differentiate between coworkers and real friends. In the view of one employee: ‘Coworkers are not friends. Don’t make that mistake.’
“I like after-work drinks. Just with my real friends instead of people from work,” and Joanna added, “No. Never. Work is work and friends are friends, they’re not the same. Hard boundaries for me.”
Some TikTok users are keen to point out that the idea that going to a work party will help you climb the career ladder is a myth. And you don’t really get much out of it if you don’t want to go.
MakeItCommon shared a video in which she said: ‘When I was in the corporate sector it was just like, “I don’t want to go to drinks after work”, but that’s just the culture, so you just do it. It was like, “Oh, do you want to go to the pub?” No, I don’t want to, but I know it’s going to help me.’
Stephen Adeoye, founder and CEO of Beyond Education, listed banning work drinks as one of his three things he “won’t do in UK business”.
“I don’t let myself be pressured into going to a work party if I don’t feel like it,” he said. “I think a lot of people think that you actually have to go to a work party to get ahead, when that’s not really the case.
“If you don’t feel like going, don’t go. You don’t have to go to work parties to get ahead in the business world, that’s just a myth.”
While the consensus seems to be that work drinks have had their day, there are still people who crave an after-work beer or cocktail with colleagues.
Someone wrote: ‘Loool, you guys seem to work with some horrible people. I love the people I work with and I’m always up for a drink with the workers. It’s fun to socialize with them outside of work. I love it!’