By Caroline Mallan
In true British style, one activity has long been at the heart of our workplace culture—drinking. But Gen Z employees are shunning booze, and putting an end to the alcohol-laden Christmas party, writes Caroline Mallan
November. While most of us are already contemplating the end of the year, daydreaming about the blissful period between Christmas and the New Year, the same cannot be said for office managers up and down the country. For these often-amateur party planners, the pressure of the dreaded work end-of-year party morphs into next level stress.
Navigating the maze of conflicting schedules, dietary restrictions, and the boundaries of what counts as an appropriate Secret Santa gift for a colleague, festive celebrations are fraught with traps. Yet, in true British style, one activity has long been at the heart of our workplace culture—drinking.
Drinking is so ingrained that most don’t give it a second thought, and many even expect it. According to research last year from the charity Drinkaware, 86 per cent of staff in the private sector say they now expect to drink at employer-hosted events, with the findings also showing the private sector is 2.5 times more likely to have alcohol subsidised at work social events than the public sector.
Yet, as a new, younger generation joins our workforce, the tide is turning. Research from the Chartered Management Institute bears this out: 42 per cent of managers advocate for a shift away from alcohol-centric activities at work-related social events. This perspective gains much more traction among younger employees aged 16 to 34 (48 per cent) and women, who are significantly more likely to agree that work parties should not be focused on drinking compared to their male counterparts (46 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively).
There are a plethora of reasons behind. This generation of young people is far more likely to snub alcohol than the generations before them. Research published earlier this year shows one in five young adults is now teetotal. In comparison, only 13 per cent of over-25s said they were teetotal.
Other reasons are much more troubling. This year there have been a string of high-profile scandals about inappropriate behaviour at some of the UK’s most enshrined institutions. Some of the most serious allegations of wrongdoing – including alleged sexual assault – happened at work functions where free alcohol flowed.
Our survey questioned employee attitudes towards alcohol at work functions and clearly signalled that the cases of bad behaviour that made the headlines were not isolated incidents – nearly one-third of managers (29 per cent) said they had witnessed first-hand instances of harassment or inappropriate behaviour at office parties.
It’s worth saying that there is no stampede towards abandoning work parties. Most managers (71 per cent) firmly believe that work parties play an indispensable role in elevating employee morale.
Yet with a younger generation coming in, and many team members not wanting to wake up with a long list of regrets in the morning, the solution for companies lies not in discarding these events completely, but rather in re-evaluating how prominently alcohol features. This could mean introducing additional activities, or even considering a cap on the number of drinks each guest can consume.
Moving away from boozy Christmas parties doesn’t have to spell doom and gloom. When companies don’t make alcohol the main event, it opens a world of options for activities during the festive season, from group cooking classes to mini-golf to escape rooms.
