Happy employees are the best employees. This means that activities like work happy hours are crucial to fostering coworker friendships and act as an effective investment for stronger partnerships and work.
Whether it’s celebratory champagne or a late-night old-fashioned, we know the benefits of balancing work and play. Having a happy hour with team members provides an opportunity to interact and bond in a way that isn’t always possible during office hours.
We’ve also found that drinks with a client can sometimes help to open communication, generate new ideas, and foster stronger relationships. Here are a few reasons why we think you should enjoy a team drink once in a while.
Bonding
First, let’s acknowledge that work days can really be long and stressful. It’s important to take the necessary time to decompress. Many people typically go home and relax or go out with their friends after work. If you can foster that same type of relationship within a corporate setting, your employees will feel that your company has a strong company culture and values their employees’ needs to have fun and socialize.
Taking the time for midday lunches, workday outings, or happy hours post-work can foster a positive work environment and celebrate the good that is happening in the company.
You might be thinking, “what is worth celebrating?” Well, what isn’t worth celebrating? There are always occasions worth toasting to. For example, birthdays, big project accomplishments, or any other drink-worthy occasion that can be put on the calendar.
Your employees deserve to have team bonding time incorporated within the workday to show that it isn’t all about the work they do but that they matter, too.
Increased productivity
Employees who are happy at work are often more engaged and much more productive. So, if you want an active employee workforce, think of ways to make employees happy. Happiness doesn’t just come from more money. Employees need to be energized and have work-related experiences that make them smile and that they thoroughly enjoy.
Corporate happy hours do just that by letting employees take their minds off the stressful parts of work and just enjoy themselves with their coworkers. They will return to the office the next day feeling happy and excited to get back to work with their new friends.
Moderation
It’s easy to get carried away at a big event or busy bar with loud music and excess amounts of alcohol. When you are drinking in an office setting or just amidst your coworkers and boss, you will probably keep an eye out on how much you have.
This doesn’t mean that corporate happy hours are meant to be lame or not fun, but it will reduce binge drinking or overconsumption among your employees. This will significantly benefit your company’s work productivity, as well as everyone’s overall health.
Employee retention
These days, a big push is all about work-life balance, and companies who struggle with this don’t do well in retaining their employees. Most millennials want a fun and social work environment and believe that a social work setting is a key to happiness in a job.
Allowing opportunities for employees to socialize outside of typical work projects will foster excellent company culture and will attract more potential employees looking for a great place to work.
Cheaper
While taking employees to a large event or hosting a big party seems appealing, it costs quite a bit of money and makes it more stressful for employees. Hosting casual happy hours in-house lets employees feel comfortable with missing it if they need to, doesn’t give them anxiety like a big event, and saves the company money. There are plenty of options to still maintain a fun event while keeping it in-house.
Local craft brews or elegant wine with some tasty appetizers always hits the spot, and if your office has a rooftop or a place to gather, utilize and take advantage of the space!
Location doesn’t matter
With the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting in-person events got very tricky very fast. The beauty of a happy hour is that it can be done anywhere! The list of virtual happy hour ideas is endless, with zoom calls and funny games to play. You will get to know your coworkers on a deeper level.
Companies can also “cater” during these happy hours by sending a small gift to their employees that they can then enjoy over the call together. This is an excellent option for remote employees, as well. Just because you can’t go out to the bar doesn’t mean you can’t bring the bar to you!
Client events
A neutral environment can often be easier to discuss challenging projects or new ideas with clients. Whether it be a trip to your favorite restaurant or bar, or just a small drink in the conference room, building customer loyalty by fostering strong and friendly relationships is important. A client happy hour can help build a stronger base for communication and make the relationship seem more friendship-based rather than business-based.
Creativity
Another perk of corporate happy hours is that you can really use your creativity. It doesn’t have to just be a drink. It can be anything you want it to be!
There are so many great happy hour ideas to have a fun experience with your employees. From building creative cocktails as a group, playing trivia, or trying out another fun activity idea. This fosters team bonding and creates lasting memories that will be talked about for years to come.
Whether you choose to hold a happy hour in house, play trivia, or go to a favorite bar, corporate happy hours have an endless list of perks. And while it may seem contradicting at first to have your employees drink on the job, corporate happy hours increase company satisfaction, emphasize team bonding, and help employee retention because work-life balance is so important.