Written By: Nick VanMeter
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Work used to be different. So did what we do after work. When everyone worked at the same place at the same time, it was easy enough to clock out and head out to a happy hour. It was when co-workers blew off steam, bonded, and shared ideas. When Covid hit, in-person happy hours were replaced by long-distance gatherings by video conference. Even before then, remote work was not unheard of. Since then, remote and hybrid work has become commonplace, as are core hours and more flexible scheduling. Younger workers aren’t even that much into drinking. But socializing didn’t end all together. Much as it changed the nature of work, technology has changed how we unwind.
Work It Out
Like a lot of life now, bonding with co-workers is often internet-based. They might not work in the same space or at the same time, but they can connect on company-sponsored digital channels such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, chatting work but also hobbies and families if they can’t do it in person. Wherever they put their work hours in, they can connect on common interests via apps.
For many, the gym has replaced the bar as a place to shrug off the workday.
“Instead of happy hours and traditional team-building exercises, people are opting to take Pilates together, or a fitness session, a spin class,” Nic Wilson, an F45 Training athlete and trainer, told Business Insider.
In some ways, the walking meeting or walking hour is a relic of the pandemic, when work and home merged into one and people needed a release in nature. Even dispersed co-workers can keep up with each other through fitness apps such as Strava and Stepbet to see who ride the most miles or walk the most steps.
Socializing might occur in bits and pieces throughout the day rather than all at once, or it might take place over a workout instead of over a drink, but the bonds are made just the same.
Easy on HR
Among those unlikely to mourn the loss of happy hour is HR staffers who had to worry about liability at company-sponsored events with alcohol served, and even employee or executive behavior at non-sponsored happy hours. As employment attorney Jon Hyman told HR Morning, “The idea of an office open bar makes my compliance skin crawl.”
HR compliance platforms like BambooHR and Zenefits put the negative consequences of sponsored happy hours into perspective by quantifying them. Having company-sponsored fitness events not only makes the HR team feel better from a liability standpoint, it aligns with team fitness goals that help keep insurance premiums down.
Employers and health plans turn to platforms like Sworkit, which has a library of fitness, meditation, and nutrition content to offer. Sworkit was chosen in 2024 to promote the CDC’s physical fitness guidelines among health plan members.
“By integrating this real-time incentive, we aim to further engage and inspire employees and members to prioritize their health, making the journey towards wellness both rewarding and attainable,” Sworkit CEO Ryan Hanna said. “This initiative further proves our belief that incentivizing health milestones can significantly enhance participation rates and overall enthusiasm towards achieving a healthier lifestyle.”
That engagement level in work-sponsored fitness events often exceeds the level of enthusiasm for after-hours drinks.
“People are much less likely to actually cancel a workout than they will be to text you that they’re not going to come to drinks,” Vicky Land, executive VP of brand and communications for Barry’s HIIT studios told Business Insider.
Groups to Gather
Just because the manner of employee socialization has changed does not means that it’s gone away. People are social animals, after all. We still crave connection, someone to talk to. We think a lot about work, seeing as most of our choose our fields and we spend at least a third of our lives doing it. Co-workers are often the only ones who can really understand our situations and frustrations and help us work through specific problems.
It’s just that with five generations in the workplace, some of us have different methods of connecting than others. Digital natives are more likely to craft their social interactions around online systems. Sometimes that might mean that posting about being out for drinks with your much older co-workers isn’t that cool.
But it also facilitates via company-wide affinity groups or employee resource groups. Based on shared interests, backgrounds, or life situations, these groups can be for anything from football fans to LGBTQ+ staffers to working parents. They can serve as a place to build cohesion, find mentorship, or simply vent.
“The main imperative in the here and now is retaining people and making sure the environments created for employees are supportive, inclusive, equitable, and accessible,” Farzana Nayani, author of “The Power of Employee Resource Groups” told Strategy + Business.
By giving people a forum to gather outside of work, they strengthen the team and the company. Happy hour didn’t really go away. It changed with technology that better fits how people now work, connect, and manage their time.
