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In a world where workforces are increasingly distributed, more companies have started to recognize the importance of bringing workers together, even if they’re not required to show up to an office every day.
But the old playbook for in-person work events is showing its age. Take corporate happy hours, which may not hold the same appeal as they did five years ago. This seems particularly true for younger adults, who are less likely to drink than their older peers, according to recent Pew Research data.
Cesar Carvalho, CEO of corporate benefit firm Gympass, told HR Brew he’s noticed more organizations moving away from “happy hours” to “wellness hours,” and expects to see the trend continue in 2024.
“I’m already seeing a move on businesses, completely changing how they celebrate and build a bond between employees,” he said. For his part, Carvalho said he gathered his team for a boxing class after a stressful week. “You sweat together, spend time together…then you go have a healthy dinner, and suddenly everyone has a ton of energy.”
Decentering alcohol. Of course, not all workers will be down to exercise with their colleagues. HR leaders don’t have to entirely reinvent the wheel, but planning events with options for employees who don’t drink is a good start.
“If you’re going to advertise alcohol when marketing your events, be sure to include language that is inclusive to non-drinkers as well to ensure they, too, feel included,” Alex Suggs, a DE&I consultant and co-founder of Different DEI, wrote on LinkedIn. They also recommended offering “mocktails,” front and center alongside other alcoholic beverages.
Daphne Hoppenot, founder and CEO of event planning platform The Vendry, told us she’s recently noticed more corporate events offering mocktails that look visually similar to cocktails, in an effort to be more inclusive of those abstaining from alcohol. And while Hoppenot’s Brooklyn-based team does still go out for drinks, she said more recently they’ve tried to gather employees around activities that don’t necessarily involve alcohol, such as darts, shuffleboard, or ax-throwing.
“I’ve previously taken my team on hikes upstate, or we’ve gone to the Escape Room,” Leah Goodridge, a Brooklyn-based managing attorney for housing policy at legal services nonprofit Mobilization for Justice, told the Punk Rock HR podcast in August 2023. “That’s another way of bonding, but none of it involved alcohol,” she added. Goodridge said she doesn’t believe employers have to remove alcohol entirely from events, but drinking it shouldn’t be their only option for bonding outside of work.
If you haven’t yet considered how to decenter alcohol from employee gatherings, Dry January might be a great time to start. We’ll cheers to that! Well, after the month has passed…