Restaurants have a well-deserved reputation for employees who party with each other after hours, and celebrate holidays and other occasions together. A growing trend in the modern workplace, regardless of industry, is to encourage happy hour for employees as much as once per week.
Restaurant workers are on their feet, running around and thinking fast. They close up shop late at night or early in the morning, and after long shifts, those open bottles of wine from tastings, or almost-empty liquor bottles seem mighty tempting. As long as an owner or manager gives the “thumbs up,” the workers will party as if they had not expended a drop of energy all day. If the manager gives the “thumbs down,” the dinner shift will end up at the local late-night watering hole. Restaurant industry workers are known for their ability to play as hard as they work.
In the restaurant industry, the combination of outgoing, extroverted personalities and constant exposure and access to libations creates impromptu happy hours. Therefore, it is not so surprising that non-restaurant companies such as Anchor Brewing, and Rewinery and Food and Wine would offer happy hour celebrations as perks for their employees.
What may be more surprising is that companies such as AOL, Huffington Post, and Garden and Gun (a magazine) have regular happy hour celebrations for their employees. It seems today’s generation of employers recognizes the need for co-workers to let their hair down, put their feet up and socialize. The ability to have fun as a unit may well be an important ingredient of the glue that holds a team together. Employer-sponsored happy hours can be a good investment, reaping high rewards.
The Kitchn may have come up with the most interesting and creative way of holding happy hour for co-workers. Their team is spread out all over the country, so they schedule virtual happy hours. Everyone agrees on which drink they will mix and enjoy together, and they hang out chatting over IM.
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