Alcohol comes under fire for office fun

Companies are rethinking the role of alcohol in work-related events, aligning with changing preferences, particularly among younger employees. Current trends indicate a decreased interest in alcohol among younger adults, as highlighted by recent Pew Research data. This shift is prompting organizations to move away from traditional alcohol-centric gatherings like happy hours. 

The effort to create more inclusive corporate events now includes options for non-drinkers. CEOs have observed a rise in mocktails at corporate events, offering a visually similar but alcohol-free alternative. However while DE&I experts tout the inclusivity of such moves, replacing alcohol as a cultural lubricant is hard to do well.

Rather than awkward game nights, movie watching, or mocktail making nights which offer little enjoyment ROI for employers, designing events around the four different types of fun can help. The academic model breaks enjoyment down into serious fun, hard fun, social fun and easy fun. Tools like strengthsfinder can be applied here to help understand what types of fun specific employees might enjoy, with events mixing it up helping prevent social night fatigue that’s common in today’s hybrid workplace.