I recently ran into an old work colleague and asked him how office life was going now that everything was back to normal.
“Normal?” he asked incredulously.
“What do you mean by normal? I work three days in the office and two from home, so haven’t seen some people in the flesh for years.
“Others have started and finished without me even meeting them.”
Surely after-work drinks are still a thing?
You remember? The boss throwing the card behind the bar for a few hours so we could let off some steam and get a little loose?
My mate laughed and told me to let him know if I found any workplaces still doing that because he wanted in on it.
Of Covid’s many crimes against humanity, the loss of workplace culture is right up there.
There was a time when the office was a fizzing epicentre of lively discussion and debate, exchanging of ideas and a collaborative pull in the same direction to achieve set goals.
You worked hard and played even harder.
You cared about each other and took an interest in your colleagues’ lives beyond the four walls of the office.
Hell, you may even have caught up with them on weekends.
You know? Like regular friends do.
When Covid hit, we couldn’t put enough distance between ourselves and our colleagues.
“Remote” became the buzzword of the time.
Communications were largely restricted to Zoom calls, emails, texts, the insufferable Slack and – the greatest scourge of them all – WhatsApp groups.
Offices turned into expensive wastelands, devoid of people and atmosphere.
Socialising all but disappeared as you never knew who would be on duty on what day and for how long.
The disconnect was palpable.
But just when you thought it was safe to ditch the swipe card forever, employers are striking back.
As we make our way through the early days of 2024, more and more bosses are demanding we start turning up at the office on a regular basis.
While working from home remains an option for some, those paying the big rental bills on office space want to see bodies behind desks.
And, according to the experts, that’s not a bad thing, especially for younger workers looking for guidance from older and more experienced co-workers.
They say it will result in more face-to-face interaction and less pinging messages to each other from three metres away.
“Work from home culture has been proven through research to decay workplace culture,” says Karl Treacher, CEO of the Culture Institute of Australia.
“The reason for this is neurological in nature. Humans are contagious. We have ‘mirror neurons’ that detect and reflect feelings and movements of others.
“This is especially important when it comes to culture and workplace climate. Without the ability to see others, like leaders, employees can and do make incorrect assumptions about the way culture, the team and business runs.
“So there needs to be some contact with other team members and leaders that involves an in-person experience.”
Treacher argues there have been more positives than negatives to come from the post-Covid re-set, with employees enjoying a better than ever work-life balance as workplaces adopt higher levels of authenticity and acceptance of diversity.
But there’s some bad news for those who enjoyed maxing out the company credit card at bars you couldn’t afford to drink at with your own money.
“Friday night drinks are where they should be … dead and buried,” Treacher insists.
“Creative and meaningful social experiences will always have a place in team and workplace culture, while a commitment to the anti-social practices of yesteryear – Friday drinks etc – are already a red flag for Gen Z and Alpha talent.
“Work functions that spill into personal time are not just inconvenient; they’re a breach of this generation’s deeply held values around personal time and mental wellbeing.”
Friday catch-ups dead?
I need a drink.
Now.
Adam Lucius is a freelance writer
